17 June 2014: Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), government officials, educators and development professionals attending the Second Central Asia Climate Knowledge Forum have proposed a Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Central Asia (CAMP4CA). CAMP4CA will be a regional effort to boost cross-country climate change policy planning, pilot investments across governments and jointly implement long-term climate-related projects.

The Forum, held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from 13-15 May 2014, was attended by stakeholders from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, who sought to boost regional collaboration on climate change mitigation and adaptation. Attendees pledged to: develop proposals for capacity building and awareness raising; assess the vulnerability of economic sectors; plan and act to improve the resilience to climate change, both nationally and regionally; and establish a regional body to coordinate CAMP4CA.

CAMP4CA will be financed by the World Bank and other bilateral and multilateral agencies. By emphasizing cross-sectoral and multi-country planning, it aims to increase the efficacy of responses to climate change in Central Asia. It is hoped that improved climate resilience will translate into green growth opportunities.

In addition to putting forward CAMP4CA, the Forum served as a platform for knowledge-sharing and open dialogue on ways to: mobilize finance for green and inclusive growth; incorporate disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change into sustainable development planning; and connect with the private sector and other institutions on improving the market environment and financial instruments for climate resilience interventions.

During the Forum, the creation of the Central Asia CSO Climate Association was also announced. Formed by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the Association will pull environment and climate CSOs from the region together within a coalition. [World Bank Press Release] [Forum Website]