By Alessandra Fidanza, International Climate Change Consultant, alessandra.fidanza@gmail.com

The recent Glasgow Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 26) resulted in a deal on one of the last unresolved parts of the Paris Agreement rulebook – Article 6 on international cooperation, including carbon markets and the rules on transparency of climate action and support. Parties also adopted the Glasgow Climate Pact, a political decision requesting countries to “revisit and strengthen” their climate pledges by the end of 2022, calling for a “phasedown” of coal, and setting up processes towards delivering a global goal on adaptation, higher levels of climate finance, and finance for loss and damage. Central Asian countries used the Glasgow platform to generate opportunities for climate action and sustainable development in their region.

COP 26 was the first UNFCCC event for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to attend as a united region. Central Asia provides examples of turning climate change challenges into concrete opportunities for climate action and sustainable development, and at their Pavilion, the five countries communicated to the world about their approach to decarbonization and create new opportunities for sustainable growth and the wellbeing of future generations. This article explains some of the ways Central Asian countries are helping the world fulfil the Pact made in Glasgow.

Pavilion discussions highlighted the need for a regional source of constantly updated data.

The Pavilion hosted a meaningful discussion on the latest IPCC report and its critical findings for Central Asia. For example, the region needs to develop a roadmap on adaptation with a particular focus on water resources. The discussion highlighted the need for a regional source of constantly updated data to ensure the sustainability of ongoing and future climate actions, and re-orient some activities if their implementation does not bring the expected results, in line with the standards of Strategic Environmental Assessment.

Climate action transparency was the core of a launch event for the Regional Transparency Hub for Central Asia (ReCath) under the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT) partnership with CAREC. This event set the first stone of Central Asia’s future advancements in climate action and setting more ambitious NDC goals and tailored climate action, thanks to the implementation of the ICAT toolbox.

Central Asia Countries also used the Pavilion as a point of reference to discuss, among themselves and with international counterparts, some common approaches to maximize climate action in the region and beyond:

• long term low-carbon strategies,
• the development of renewable energies,
• phasing out coal and gas,
• sustainable and low-carbon agriculture,
• reducing water consumption, and
• using waste as a source of energy and bio-waste as a fertilizer.

During the pavilion, the President of Kyrgyzstan and Ministers of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan confirmed their governments’ commitment to tackle climate change. Central Asian countries are preparing sound project proposals with regional relevance to achieve climate resilience and implement international commitments and national climate change priorities.

Central Asia’s GCF projects between 2015 and 2020 account for only 4% of the overall GCF approved portfolio. There’s room for improving those figures and attracting more funds in a strategic region like Central Asia. Concrete regional support would allow National Designated Authorities (NDA) of Central Asia to deliver successful project proposals under the GCF umbrella on both national and regional levels. The momentum is favorable for attracting international partners and donors to work together on sustainable ideas to promote a green recovery post-pandemic on the one hand, and on the other, increase the region’s climate resilience and stability.

At COP 26, Central Asia showed its interest in hosting and developing sound and sustainable solutions replicable in other parts of the world, also through the Paris Agreement’s cooperative approaches. Central Asia countries have a lot of potential for implementing the cooperative approaches set up by the newly agreed Paris Agreement’s Article 6 mechanisms.

On 24 February 2022, CAREC will host an online event to discuss these opportunities with UN agencies, donors and international financial institutions.

Based in Almaty, Kazakhstan. CAREC is an independent, non-political and not-for-profit international organization with a regional mandate to assist the Central Asian governments, regional and international stakeholders in addressing environmental and sustainability challenges across the Central Asian Region.