Uzbekistan will host the 20th meeting of the CITES Conference of the Parties in 2025.

From November 24 to December 5, 2025, Samarkand will host the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP20) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The agreement was signed by the Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change of Uzbekistan, Aziz Abduhakimov, and the CITES Secretary-General, Ivonne Higuero, during the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD CoP16), which took place in Cali, Colombia.

“We are pleased to welcome the international community to Samarkand for COP20 in 2025, where we will unite efforts to protect the rich biological heritage of our planet,” noted Minister Abduhakimov.

Uzbekistan will be the first country in Central Asia to host the gathering of 184 CITES member states and a wide range of stakeholders in wildlife conservation and trade.