Uzbekistan has become one of the first five participants in the international climate platform BRIDGE (Climate Implementation Bridge), which is designed to turn national climate change commitments into investment-ready projects. The expansion of the initiative was announced at the COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Turkey. Turkey will allocate $3 million in grant funding to launch the platform.

Initially, Uzbekistan, Ethiopia, Fiji, Indonesia, and Pakistan joined BRIDGE. Chile, Lebanon, Mexico, and Zambia have now also become participants. The platform, established with the support of UNDP, will help identify obstacles to climate investment, strengthen public institutions, and foster cooperation among governments, financial institutions, and technical partners. The first five countries are already assessing priority sectors, financing needs, and barriers to project implementation.

For Uzbekistan, the initiative is particularly relevant given its large-scale climate investment needs. According to the country’s national pavilion at COP31, the republic will require about $30.1 billion by 2035 to finance climate change adaptation measures. The BRIDGE platform is designed to help prepare relevant projects and attract international financing for their implementation.