Accelerating glacier melt, water shortages and more frequent floods in Tajikistan do not affect everyone equally: women, children, youth and vulnerable groups carry a disproportionate burden because of traditional household roles and limited access to land, credit and information. Starting in 2026, Tajikistan enters a new phase of commitments under the Paris Agreement and the development of new NDC 3.0. A dedicated chapter on GESI in NDC 3.0 draws on UNDP's Analytical Review, recommendations of the Interagency Working Group (IWG) No. 12 on Gender Equality, and consultations with government, academia, civil society, business and the Tajikistan Climate Network of NGOs (TajCN). The Chapter presents value for a broad audience: to government agencies it provides a reference point for plans and budgets; for the working group and parliamentarians - an agreed evidence base; for academia and civil society - recognition as standing partners; for the private sector - investment pointers; for international partners - a readiness signal on climate commitment in effort and finance. But the ultimate beneficiaries remain the people of Tajikistan themselves — above all women, youth, children and vulnerable communities. 

Work in Progress: From Recognition to Action 

In recent years, Tajikistan has achieved notable results on gender equality: the Constitution enshrines equal rights; the 2005 Law on Equal Rights set a 30% target for women's representation in government, and the representation of women in the parliament grew to  29–30% by 2024; the specialised IWG No. 12 reflects growing attention to the climate–gender intersection. Progress is visible in the climate sphere too: NDC 2.0 introduced targets for women's climate-risk awareness, and gender equality is one of seven cross-cutting themes of the National Adaptation Strategy to 2030. The National Academy of Sciences hosts an Association of Women Glaciologists, Basin Women's Forums are active on the Syrdarya and Kofarnihon rivers, women make up 29% of borrowers from the Climate Resilience Financing Fund, and the list of professions prohibited to women has been cut from 334 to 194. This combination allows NDC 3.0 to move from "gender awareness" toward genuinely gender-transformative climate policy. 

Gaps That Remain 

Multistakeholder consultations in May-June 2026 surfaced systemic constraints alongside these achievements: most agencies lack a dedicated GESI unit, and disaggregated data collection is only in the starting phase; 66% of research institutions lack an institutional GESI mechanism; over 85% of civil society organisations see GESI as core to their work but rate national-process inclusiveness as "partial." 

The figures are telling: Tajikistan ranks 129th out of 148 countries in the WEF Global Gender Gap Index; only 30.6% of gender-related SDG indicators are tracked; in 63% of households without piped water, women fetch it — sometimes for up to six hours a day; women carry out 70% of agricultural labour yet head just 13% of dehkan (family) farms; they receive climate credit at roughly 1.4 times lower volumes than men, while unpaid care work takes up seven hours forty minutes of their day. 

Particular attention is given to households headed by migrants' wives and single mothers (often locked out of credit because land is registered to absent family members), remote mountain communities, especially GBAO, young women outside education and employment, persons with disabilities, and ethnic minorities without native-language services. This intersectional approach in seeing how these needs overlap is what makes NDC 3.0 more effective than earlier editions. 

NDC 3.0 Priorities: Proposed Solutions 

Building on the consultations, NDC 3.0 proposes a package of measures aligned with Just Transition and the Belém Gender Action Plan (COP30, 2025), grouped into six areas: 

• Institutional governance: a Working Group on GESI and Climate chaired by the Committee on Women and Family Affairs, GESI coordinators in ministries, a digital platform, standing youth seats. 
• Disaggregated data: a unified data-collection system and mandatory disaggregated reporting as a condition for climate programme financing. 
• Economic adaptation: reform of water user associations, scale-up of the Basin Women's Forum, support for women farmers, green jobs for women and youth. 
• Social norms and digital inclusion: social-and-behaviour-change communication (SBCC), guarantees for persons with disabilities, digital and AI solutions. 
• Community adaptation: modernisation of schools, hospitals and water systems, multilingual early warning, maternal and child health. 
• Children and youth: climate-resilient schools and health facilities, an eco-club network, cash transfers to vulnerable households. 

Stakeholders set their own priorities too: 30–40% quotas for women in local decisions, researchers embedded in working groups, decentralised consultations, regulatory incentives for business. Implementation is viewed as phased: pilots in Khatlon and GBAO in 2026–2027, a 30% women's-participation target by 2028–2030, and longer-term goals beyond 2030. 

How Progress Will Be Measured 

A key strength of NDC 3.0 is that its commitments are measurable, not just declared. Progress on GESI is tracked through indicators disaggregated by sex, age and vulnerability, with 2025–2026 baselines and staged targets through 2030, aligned with the UNFCCC's Enhanced Transparency Framework, national SDG reporting and CEDAW. The Working Group on GESI and Climate collects and verifies data annually through a digital platform, publishes an independent gender audit every two years in the NDC Transparency Report, and maintains public feedback on how recommendations are reflected in decisions — this verifiable accountability distinguishes NDC 3.0 from earlier versions. 

UNDP's Contribution 

UNDP Tajikistan has been a key partner behind the GESI chapter: it prepared the underlying Analytical Review and organised the multi-stakeholder consultation process, including a workshop in May 2026. Deputy Resident Representative Lazima Onta-Bhatta stressed that inclusive climate policy is the most effective and sustainable one. With UNDP and Green Climate Fund support, Tajikistan developed its National Adaptation Plan, integrated into the 2026–2030 Medium-Term Development Programme. UNDP supports gender-responsive water governance through the Basin Women's Forums and, as part of the UN system, contributed to Tajikistan's first Country Gender Equality Profile, presented in December 2025 with the Committee on Women and Family Affairs. 

The Practical Side of the GESI Chapter 

The value of this chapter lies less in recognising gender inequality as a climate risk, and more in the systematic approach it gives every participant: agencies get a roadmap and indicators for planning and budgeting; civil society and business get a legitimate channel for participation; partners get a transparent basis for support. Its most important effect is shifting Tajikistan's climate policy from recognising vulnerability to engaging with concrete people — not only as recipients of protection, but as active partners and contributors in adaptation. That is the essence of the shift toward gender-transformative climate policy — the goal Tajikistan has committed to through 2030. 

Natalya Harutyunyan, International Consultant on GESI Integration in Tajikistan NDC 3.0

Shohida Tulieva, National Consultant on GESI Integration in Tajikistan NDC 3.0