Where Implementation Begins

Ten stories of people driving climate action across Europe and Central Asia

October 12, 2026

Person wearing a white hard hat kneels to inspect crops in a wide field. — Photo: UNDP Kazakhstan / Iris Mambur

Climate action looks different from one community to another. It can mean protecting a farm from floods, giving war debris a second life, or helping a village prepare for extreme weather. But implementation always begins in the same place: on the ground, with people.

Ahead of the United Nations climate conference, COP31, taking place in Antalya, Türkiye, these ten stories show how the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is working with communities across Europe and Central Asia to turn climate commitments into practical solutions that protect livelihoods and build resilience.

Man wearing a mask helps a student at a table during a workshop, as others watch. — Photo: Support to Life Association

#1 Türkiye: Zero waste starts with communities

Across Türkiye, local wardens are helping communities see everyday waste differently. Yogurt containers become baskets, juice boxes become flower pots and bottle caps become fridge magnets.

Trained with support from UNDP and the Support to Life Association, the wardens bring women, children, refugees and other community members together to learn practical ways to reuse waste and rethink what gets thrown away. In 2025, their workshops reached 928 people, showing how small changes at the community level can contribute to cleaner neighbourhoods and stronger communities.

#2 Moldova: Smart agriculture for a changing climate

A few years ago, Doina Pantaz and her husband, beekeepers from Meșeni, a village in eastern Moldova, suffered climate-related losses to their bee colonies. Their response was to find a smarter way to protect them.

They built beehives fitted with alarms and monitoring systems to keep a closer eye on the bees and strengthen their business. With financial and mentorship support from UNDP and Sweden, they also set up a workshop and built a more stable income source.

In 2026, another 160 women in Moldova will receive support to introduce green solutions into their businesses, helping them protect their livelihoods as the climate changes.

Smiling couple standing in a greenhouse with raised arms, rows of plants behind them. — Photo: UNDP Bosnia and Herzegovina

#3 Bosnia and Herzegovina: From flooded fields to flourishing farms

“For fifteen days, we couldn’t leave the village,” recalls Tihomir Bekavac, a 67-year-old farmer from a small village in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina.

When devastating floods struck his community in October 2024, they washed away land, orchards and roads. For Tihomir and his wife, Jela, pictured here, recovery meant starting almost from scratch.

With support from the European Union, UNDP, and its partners, 279 flood-affected households are restoring damaged land and rebuilding their farms. Tihomir and Jela received a greenhouse with an irrigation system, allowing them to grow vegetables again and rebuild their livelihood while becoming better prepared for future climate shocks.

Woman in black sweater stands outdoors beside a rusted gate in a lush garden. — Photo: UNDP Georgia / Nino Zedginidze

#4 Georgia: Community-led action for climate resilience

“Whenever heavy rains came, we stayed awake all night,” recalls Klara Kutubidze, who lives in a flood-prone community in western Georgia. “Water would flood our home, and mud would fill the rooms.”

Klara and her neighbours worked together to identify the biggest risks facing their community and the solutions they needed. With UNDP support, they cleared and restored drainage channels and built a protective wall to help reduce flooding.

Klara’s community is one of 100 across Georgia where UNDP and its partners are supporting locally led solutions to growing climate risks. Together, these communities are home to more than 360,000 people.

Photo: UNDP Turkmenistan / Dovlet Rejepov

#5 Turkmenistan: From seashores to systemic solutions

Along Turkmenistan’s Caspian coast, young volunteers are turning beach clean-ups into opportunities to learn about the environment around them. They collect and sort plastic, glass, metal and organic waste while learning about marine pollution and conservation. Through clean-ups organized by UNDP and the local NGO Yash Tebigatchy, young people are taking a more active role in protecting their coastline.

But keeping the sea clean requires work both on and off the beach. Alongside these community events, Turkmenistan has begun tracking land-based pollution sources and assessing local waste laws to find smarter ways to manage trash and attract investment.

#6 Uzbekistan: Greening the Aral Sea, greening the future

Once the world’s fourth-largest lake, the Aral Sea has lost nearly 90 percent of its water, exposing a vast salt desert that threatens surrounding communities.

Through the Green Aral Sea initiative, over 915,000 saxaul saplings have been planted on the dried seabed. Their roots help stabilize the soil and reduce the spread of windblown salt and dust, helping address environmental and health risks for communities living in the region.

Tree by tree, restoring this damaged landscape is helping build a healthier and more resilient future around the Aral Sea.

Four elderly women in colorful traditional outfits stand outdoors under trees. — Photo: UNDP Tajikistan / Nigora Alimadzoda

#7 Tajikistan: Advancing climate action with no one left behind

In Tajikistan, climate action is becoming part of everyday life, from solar-powered fruit drying to greener greenhouse management.

In 2025, 120 women and community members received support to develop biodiversity-friendly livelihoods and bring clean technologies into their businesses and communities.

Change is also happening at the national level. UNDP is helping ensure that gender equality and social inclusion are reflected in Tajikistan’s updated national climate plan, so that women and communities have a greater voice in shaping the country’s climate action.

Construction worker in hard hat and vest holding a small animal in front of a yellow excavator. — Photo: UNDP Ukraine

#8 Ukraine: Turning war debris into climate-smart foundations

Across Ukraine, rebuilding can begin with what remains.

Concrete and bricks from buildings damaged by the war are being tested for a new life as construction materials. With support from Japan, UNDP and UNIDO are exploring how to transform this debris into high-quality building tiles using low-carbon technology.

A UNDP study estimates that up to 70 percent of war debris could potentially be recycled and reused. Instead of becoming waste, materials left by destruction could become part of Ukraine’s greener recovery.

Person on a dark horse wearing camouflage, binoculars raised, in a grassy field. — Photo: UNDP Kyrgyzstan

#9 Kyrgyzstan: Turning climate commitments into law

For Kyrgyzstan’s mountain communities, climate change affects the water, pastures and livelihoods people depend on.

A new climate law, due to take effect in 2027, aims to turn the country’s climate commitments into action, from reducing emissions and helping communities adapt to mobilizing the investment needed to respond to climate change.

Developed with technical support from UNDP, it is the first comprehensive climate law of its kind in Central Asia, creating a national framework for action that can ultimately reach the communities facing climate impacts on the ground.

Photo: UNDP Serbia / Vladimir Živojinović

#10 Western Balkans: Scaling innovations, securing sustainable futures

Some of the best ideas for adapting to climate change begin locally. The challenge is helping the ones that work reach more people.

Supported by the Adaptation Fund, the Balkan Climate Adaptation Futures initiative is working with communities, civil society organizations and small businesses across Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia to develop and test new climate adaptation solutions tailored for vulnerable groups, particularly rural communities, women, marginalized groups and those in informal settlements.

Over the next four years, the initiative will help promising local ideas grow beyond individual communities and inform solutions across the region.

The idea is simple: test what works locally, then help successful solutions travel across borders.

At COP31, countries will discuss how to accelerate climate action. Across Europe and Central Asia, that work is already underway, in farms, villages, cities and communities where people are turning commitments into solutions they can see and use.

This is where implementation begins.