Bishkek – 31 May 2022 – The inception meeting of the “Climate Change and Resilience in Central Asia” project took place, aimed at supporting the climate-resilient development in the Ferghana Valley, the border area of ​​Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The inception meeting was attended by representatives of Government bodies, academia, non-governmental organizations, expert community, international organizations and development partners, including the Deputy Head of the Monitoring and Analysis Department of the Administration of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Director of the Climate Finance Center under the Ministry of natural resources, environment and technical supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic, the acting Head of the European Union Delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic and Head of the Environment, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management Cluster of UNDP in the Kyrgyz Republic.

The meeting was organized to familiarize the project plan and current results, to receive expert advice and observations on climate change and climate resilience, as well as to explore ways of cooperation and interaction at different levels and platforms to discuss the climate change impact on the entire region of the Ferghana Valley.

This “Climate Change and Resilience in Central Asia” project is funded by European Union and implemented jointly by UNDP in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Agency for Hydrometeorology of the Committee for Environmental Protection of Tajikistan and the Center of Hydrometeorological Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

“Within the framework of a Decree of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic “On declaring 2022 the Year of Protection of Mountain Ecosystems and Climate Sustainability”, a roadmap on environmental issues was specially adopted. Environmental and adaptation issues will be met with dignity by our goverments,” said Shaazadan Tyumonbaev, Deputy Head of the Monitoring and Analysis Department of the Administration of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Dastan Abdyldaev, Director of the Climate Finance Center under the Ministry of natural resources, environment and technical supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic, said: “The key task for the coming period is to develop an understanding of society of the severity of climate threats facing the country, as well as to adopt an action plan for mitigation and adaptation of NDC and the Carbon Neutrality Strategy 2050.”

Ferghana Valley is home to nearly 30% of the Central Asia region’s population, which is designated the highest climate change area among transboundary climate change. The rate of warming temperatures in Central Asia is on average higher than the global average hotspots in Central Asia. The region is warming faster than the global average. The average annual temperatures are forecast to increase by 2.0 to 5.7 °C by 2085. This is evidenced by substantial reductions in mountain snowpack and the depleted volume of the Tien Shan glaciers and permafrost, releasing carbon and methane stocks which contribute to further warming.

“Climate change affects the Kyrgyz people in diverse ways, threatening not just the food and energy security but the wider stability in the region. The European Union is committed to helping Kyrgyzstan foster stability and adapt to climate change, and this project is an excellent example supported under our global strategy for a greener planet, the European Green Deal,” said Raimonds Vingris, the acting Head of the European Union Delegation to the Kyrgyz Republic.

In turn, Lira Zholdubaeva, the head of the Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management Cluster of UNDP in the Kyrgyz Republic, stressed that the project will help Kyrgyzstan to identify the risks associated with climate instability, and enhance risk management capacity among stakeholders at the local, national and regional levels, and support practical risk reduction activities: “We are confident that the efforts of our neighbouring governments will contribute to the introduction of innovative catalytic elements for peacebuilding, the formation of a systematic approach to regional knowledge sharing, the mobilization of internal and external resources to increase climate resilience in the region and to find more effective solutions for adaptation to climate change for present and future generations.”

As noted during the inception meeting, the “Climate Change and Resilience in Central Asia” project will focus on four main outputs with corresponding sets of activities:

Output 1: Enhanced knowledge base and capacities to identify and assess climate-driven resilience risks in trans-border areas of Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Republic of Uzbekistan;

Output 2: Technical assistance on the introduction of climate fragility risks into national policies, climate change adaptation and development strategies and plans in Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Republic of Uzbekistan provided;

Output 3: Opportunities to promote regional cooperation and awareness on climate and fragility risks created; and

Output 4: Enhanced early warning and prevention measures demonstrated at pilot site/s in the Ferghana Valley.

In this regard, the “Climate Change and Resilience in Central Asia” project will be implemented with a focus on improvement of the knowledge of climate-fragility risks amongst stakeholders at local, national, and regional levels; facilitation risk-informed policymaking and resource management, and supporting practical risk reduction interventions.

Photos from the event are available here.