Engagement of private sector in climate change actions discussed at regional forum with involvement of representatives of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan

April 28, 2022

Dushanbe, 28 April 2022 – The Regional Forum on Private Sector and Climate Change Actions gathered representatives of government agencies, international organizations and private sector from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. The event was organized under UNDP's regional initiative called "The Policy Action for Climate Security in Central Asia", funded by the UK Government and implemented jointly by UNDP Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

During the Forum, the participants discussed climate change issues, with particular focus on opportunities for the private sector to benefit from climate finance, and experience and lessons learned of the private sector in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan in implementing the Climate Agenda and market-based mechanisms under UNFCCC.

In his welcoming speech to the regional forum, Mr. Giorgi Vardishvili, Deputy Resident Representative a.i. of UNDP in Tajikistan, emphasized that Central Asian countries remained the most vulnerable to climate change risks in the Europe-Central Asia region. Over the past decades, the annual temperature in Central Asian countries raised by 0.5 degrees Celsius and is projected to increase by 2.0–6.5 degrees by 2100. This poses new risks and challenges for agriculture, energy, and water sectors, with women disproportionately affected, especially in rural areas.

Mr. Turakul Murodov, Head of the Center for Implementation of Investment Projects of the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, noted about the Government’s efforts towards adaptation to climate change. A particular example is the adoption of the Strategy of Adaptation to Climate Change that determines national goals and targets, which would facilitate the achievement of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

Having highlighted the role of private sector, which is the cornerstone for effective implementation of national adaptation measures in all three countries, the participants noted the need to develop monitoring, oversight and reporting system, which currently does not exist in the majority of the private sector, and in some cases is not yet developed at the national level.

In conclusion of the event, the participants expressed their interest in continuation of these important discussions with involvement of all economic entities and articulated the need to establish a platform for the exchange of knowledge and experience on climate change actions.

About the project

"The Policy Action for Climate Security in Central Asia» project, funded by the UK Government, promotes regional cooperation on climate policy and effective climate diplomacy and positioning of countries on their climate agenda, based on science-based commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

One of the important activities under this project is to capacitate a wider range of stakeholders in climate action, develop a learning scheme for climate reporting and transparency, and determine new ways for cooperation with emerging partners, including the private sector.