The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been active in Central Asia since the early 2000s, focusing on areas like resource efficiency, environmental governance, chemicals and waste management, ecosystems and climate change adaptation, and poverty and environment. UNEP works closely with the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) and its Executive Committee (ICSD) on initiatives to support green economy development and improve waste management in the region. Key ongoing projects include developing regional strategies on waste management and green economies, strengthening environmental governance, and building capacity on issues like climate change adaptation and low carbon development. UNEP aims to scale up its work in Central Asia in coming years on areas like sustainable trade, infrastructure, and green

1. .
The United Nations Environment Programme
in Central Asia
Cooperation on enabling conditions for Green
Economy
Jurmala

2. 2
Outline
1. Main challenges
2. UNEP in Central Asia
3. Ongoing initiatives at regional and country
levels
4. Scaling up What’s next?

3. 3
Use and
distribution of
Water and
Energy
resources
Resource
Efficiency
Land
Degradation,
ecosystem
management &
climate change
adaptation
Chemicals and
Waste
Management,
(incl. links with
health issues)
Environmental
Governance
Poverty &
Environment
1. Main challenges

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2. UNEP in Central Asia
Active in the region since the early 2000s
Focal areas
Continuous work with IFAS/ICSD and Central Asian
countries
• Resource efficiency: Green Economy & Sustainable Consumption and
Production
• Environmental Governance, support to regional cooperation and
institutional strengthening
• Chemicals and Waste
• Ecosystems & climate change adaptation
• Poverty and environment

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SIC
RMCCA
3. UNEP and IFAS/ICSD

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UNEP is a trusted partner since 1994, with focus on environmental
governance
•Regional Environmental Action Plan, 2000-2001 (with ADB and
UNDP)
•National Sustainable Development Strategies (2005-2009)
•Regional Sustainable Development Strategy (2008-2009)
•Framework Convention on Environmental Protection for Sustainable
Development in Central Asia, Ashgabat, 2006
•Support to ICSD institutional and programmatic role (with UNECE),
incl. the Regional Mountain Centre for Central Asia (RMCCA) in
Bishek, 2007;
•Support to the implementation of Rio+20 outcomes
•Trust reaffirmed by ICSD in April 2014 and November 2017, with
specific mandate and request to UNEP on green economy, waste
and REAP
Long-standing partnership with ICSD
3. UNEP and IFAS/ICSD

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ICSD requests to UNEP
• Strengthening of ICSD roles and structures
• Up-date of the Regional Environment Action Plan
• Review/assessment of the process of ratification of the
Central Asia Framework Convention on “Environment
for Sustainable Development”
• Support to a regional green economy approach
• Support to a regional waste management approach
3. UNEP and IFAS/ICSD

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Key priorities
• Environmental governance
• Ecosystem management and
climate change
• Waste management
• Green Economy/Resource
efficiency
4. Way forward and ongoing initiatives

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• Institutional support to ICSD & Capacity-
building (with UNECE, OSCE, EU)
• Support to the revision of REAP and
development of implementation mechanisms
(with WWF)

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Regional
Environmental
Action Plan in
Central Asia
• Vulnerable mountain ecosystems & climate change
adaptation: “Plans in the area of climate change in
developing countries with vulnerable mountain
ecosystems at sub-regional level” - with the RMCCA
• Biodiversity
• Revision of the National Biodiversity Strategies and
Actions Plans
• Ecosystem services valuation
• Strengthening MEA synergies and indicators in
NBSAPs
Ecosystem Management & Climate Change

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Regional
Environmental
Action Plan in
Central Asia
• Regional Waste Management Outlook
• Capacity building (incl. at ICSD meeting of Nov. 2014)
• Development of a Regional Waste management strategy
(Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan)
• Ratification and implementation of MEA:
• Basel-Rotterdam-Stockholm Convention
• Minamata Convention (mercury
Waste management

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• Capacity-building (incl. at ICSD meeting of Nov. 2014)
• Enhancing Knowledge and Capacity for Inclusive Green
Economies
• Greening Economies and implementing Sustainable Consumption
and Production in Eastern Europe Caucasus and Central Asia
• Development of a green economy approach for Central Asia
800,000 USD
• On-going work (e.g. Research capacity-development in
Central Asia and Mongolia)
• Central Asia Scoping Study (a study on intra-regional trade,
infrastructure and resource management)

13. 4/20/2015 13
List of other ongoing activities:
• Capacity Building in Development of Policy Framework for
Promotion of Low Carbon Emission Societies in Central Asia
• Green Climate Fund Readiness Programme (Uzbekistan)
• Technology needs assessment (Uzbekistan)
• Preparation of intended nationally determined contribution (iNDC)
to the 2015 agreement under the UNFCCC (Kyrgyzstan)
• Strengthening ecosystems and development linkages through
innovative economic approaches for green growth (Kazakhstan)
• Global Project on the Implementation of PRTRs as a tool for POPs
reporting, dissemination and awareness raising for (Kazakhstan)
Environmental information and monitoring, with UNECE and EEA
• Integrating environmental sustainability in the UN Development
Assistance Frameworks (UNDAFs) and UN common country
programming processes
• Poverty and environment initiative

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5. Events and deliverables in 2015
Key milestones
 2014-2015: Development of regional GE and Waste
approaches, with all interested partners
 ICSD Meeting June 2015
 SCP roundtable (10 YFP) in Almaty, Sept 2015
 2016: Contribution of CA on green economy to
Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference in
Batumi
 Central Asia waste management outlook 2016
 Climate change adaptation in mountain regions (Paris
COP side event 2015)

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6. Scale up and opportunities for
partnerships
Key milestones
 Based on the Central Asian regional scoping study,
develop and implement GE initiatives on intra-
regional trade, infrastructure and resource
management
 Further support regional cooperation and look into
potential of working at sub national level (cities)
 Assessment of investment needs (financial and
technologies)
 Sustainable public procurement (responding to
countries request)
 Eco Portal, Green Growth Knowledge Platform
 2016: Contribution of CA on green economy to
Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference in
Batumi

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Thank you