Center for Natural Resources and Sustainability

(From left to right: Umurzokova Kanoathon, her parents, at the UN Green Climate Fund Headquarters. Republic of Korea, 2016.)

The company is actively involving in the formation of Circular Economy in Uzbekistan with the scientific approach to achieve accurate calculations and source materials (accumulation rates, morphological composition of waste). Having institutional, regulatory and legal knowledge and experience, the company's specialists participate in expert assessments related to the adaptation to the climate change.

Favourite quote

«The real woman is the one, who makes every unfortunate person happy», - Bernard Shaw

The biggest investment in you, in your well-being and a dignified retirement is education. It predisposes a lot in the future. Those who do not know what to do with a diploma and the knowledge gained in an educational institution did not initially know for what they would spend their time.

Professional background

In 2008, I enrolled for the second specialization at the Management Development Institute of Singapore the Faculty of Banking and Finance. Last year of studies, the workload of the classes allowed me to work in production, and I began my career as an assistant to the Team Leader of an international project developing a roadmap for the water supply, sewerage and sanitation system of the Republic of Uzbekistan. While working in an interdisciplinary team, I realized that projects on natural resource management require a specialist to have additional knowledge and skills in related domains, such as ecology, engineering, economics, finance, political science, etc.

After graduating from the institute, and a successful interview, I was invited to work in a large pharmaceutical company, where my manager was also a woman. I learned a lot from her.

Once I read an announcement about seminars at the EcoGIS Center at TIIAME, which is near our house, on a Saturday day off, I decided to participate. My interest in ecology even more grew. I met the coordinator of international relations of Wageningen University and shared my opinions. She inspired me and introduced me to the specialisations of the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Wageningen University, which has been in the top 50 Universities of the world in its segment for ten years. I successfully defended my Master's degree at Wageningen University. I was offered a job at the United Nations Green Climate Fund based in the Republic of Korea. As an internal audit assistant, I worked with all departments and met international experts in green finance, forestry and agriculture, entrepreneurship, law, etc. And I once again had an understanding that I am just at the beginning of my career and personal development. At that time, the technical staff as we call "Core business" had 10+ years of experience in Africa, Asia, America at the regional and "field" level, people who went through the entire cycle of becoming specialist from the origins to the global scope. So, I decided to continue working at the international organizations, the next place of work was the European Union Agency - the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which is located in the Republic of Italy. I was among the 3% selected from the total number of applicants and 5 international young professionals. I studied operations at the European Agency level. At the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), I worked on the digitalization of agriculture (beyond automation and digitation). I stepped into the world of geo-platform administration, digital communication tools and creative visualization and illustrations.

I worked also as a greenhouse gas inventory expert and feasibility study researcher. In 2020, I founded a family consulting company, where we apply the best practices of developed countries, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, the Italian Republic, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of Austria, etc., where our specialists gained experience during their studies, work and residence.

Challenges

There were various difficulties, but I was always supported by my parents, who also had higher education in leading universities abroad. They wanted to raise a successful, personally developed and independent personality in me.

In international organizations where I was invited and where I worked, at the time being I was the first representative from Uzbekistan. Questions with traveling abroad, obtaining visa, all procedures were mainly formed on the basis of the accumulated available data of my individual case. As far as I remember in the past, as a rule, girls passed more inspections than boys both before going abroad and after returning.

There were its challenges to join the community I chose. I cannot say that everything went smooth. I worked on forming a good social circle among classmates and colleagues. I always share my experience and knowledge. Specifically, classmates and work colleagues, later friends, we support each other at work and starting in new endeavors.

Moment of inspiration

Progress. I have worked out such a pursuit that achievement of today should be at least one step better than yesterday.

Self-discipline. In matters of performance discipline, I do not need a reminder from anyone to meet my deadlines.

Honesty and mutual assistance: I support my friends and colleagues as much as possible.

The big moments in my life are when I meet my parents abroad when they reunite and come to my place of study, work, to live together. I see my success in the atmosphere of friendship and mutual understanding in my family, the moral support of my parents and friends.

At the basis of any, even the most insignificant success there is sleepless nights of painstaking work. Unfortunately, not everyone understands this, but there are colleagues, friends and others who consider me successful.

Acknowledged success

The opportunities for women in energy sector or in the field of environmental protection are very wide. The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals introduces environmental standards and requirements in assessing the production processes. Each sector has an energy consumption component, which leads to the implementation of energy saving requirements, environmental norms and regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Optimization of energy consumption, resource saving, the use of renewable energy, the creation of natural ecosystems will be relevant in the near future in Central Asia to create new jobs.