The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation, and the Aral school have joined forces to advance ecological restoration efforts in the Aral Sea region.

Yesterday, participants of the Aral School stepped off campus and onto the dried seabed of the Aral Sea. Together with experts from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Uzbekistan and foresters from the Karauzyak State Forestry Department, they planted saxaul seedlings and other halophyte species across a stretch of one of the world's most challenging landscapes, putting months of shared learning directly into practice.

Since January 2026, ACDF, UNDP and the Aral School have been building their partnership through a structured programme of joint activities — from mentorship sessions and knowledge exchanges to today's field work on the dried seabed.

Over the past weeks, both teams have engaged on themes central to the Aral Sea region: water governance, climate-resilient agriculture, ecosystem restoration, and community resilience.