The “Strengthening Financial Resilience and Accelerating Risk Reduction in Central Asia” program (SFRARR) – funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and the World Bank – hosted a final regional forum in Almaty on October 14-15. The event marked the conclusion of a five-year effort to
The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan said it had sent 977 million cubic meters of water to the Aral Sea during this year’s irrigation season, or 98% of the plan. In recent years, only 350-400 million cubic meters of water flowed into the sea during irrigation seasons. Since the beginning of
One of Kyrgyzstan’s most picturesque places, the Saimaluu-Tash National Nature Park, may face serious environmental risks as parts of its territory may be used for the construction of a railway from China to Uzbekistan, mk.kg reported. One of the key problems is the possible change in the category of land on which the park is
On September 18, Kazakhstan Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov held the first meeting of the Board of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) under the chairmanship of Kazakhstan. The meeting with the heads of delegations of the participating countries of the Fund considered the issues of joint use of transboundary water resources, as
The Government of Japan and UN Development Programme (UNDP) have agreed upon a new $4.9 million project, “Enhancing Urban Resilience to Disaster Risk and Climate Change in Central Asia”. The signing ceremony was held on September 11 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The project aims to enhance urban resilience to climate-driven risks in Central Asia by utilizing regional collaborative mechanisms and national transformational strategies, fostering sustainable
Central Asia’s high mountains are critical to the well-being of communities throughout the region and beyond. At the same time, the area is already facing significant climate-related security risks with impacts on the livelihoods of rural mountain and downstream communities that are dependent on agriculture, pastures, and forests. As these risks are shared across the
The United Nations, in collaboration with the Government of Karakalpakstan, announced the launch of two projects to tackle pressing environmental and health issues in the northwestern region of Uzbekistan. The projects, supported by the Multi-Partner Human Security Trust Fund for the Aral Sea Region include: the UNICEF project, “Enhancing Climate-Resilient and Safe Water, Sanitation, Hygiene,
The government of Uzbekistan and a consortium of companies including Abu Dhabi Sustainable Water Solutions (UAE), SUEZ (France) and Marubeni (Japan) have signed a Joint Development Agreement for the construction of a new modern wastewater treatment plant in the Kuichirchik district of the Tashkent region, the Uzbek Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade said. SUEZ
On July 15, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF International) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on a tiger reintroduction program in Kazakhstan. According to the ministry, the memorandum is a continuation of successful cooperation which has already led to significant achievements in the restoration
The World Bank on June 21 announced that Uzbekistan has become the first country in the world receiving a payment from the World Bank for reducing carbon emissions through a policy crediting program. This pioneering project – the Innovative Carbon Resource Application for Energy Transition (iCRAFT) – was crafted to support Uzbekistan in implementing energy efficiency measures,
On June 5, a ceremony was held to reintroduce Przewalski’s horses into the Altyn Dala Nature Reserve in the Kostanay region of Kazakhstan. A Czech military plane transported eight Przewalski’s horses from the Prague Zoo for reintroduction into the territory of the Altyn Dala state nature reserve. In total, 40 wild horses are to be
In celebration of the Earth Day, representatives of the Delegation of the European Union to Turkmenistan, jointly with the Nature Protection Society of Turkmenistan, on April 22 organised a visit to local animal shelters, with the purpose of donating food and medicine. In addition, funds will be allocated towards sterilisation of selected animals, in support
The Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, Akylbek Japarov on March 29 attended the ceremony to launch the construction of a plant for the production of electricity with the disposal of solid household waste in the city of Bishkek. Japarov emphasized that environmental issues have been very acute in the capital
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it is helping to address pressing water treatment and environmental issues in Kazakhstan’s fourth-largest municipality, Aktobe, by financing the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant and associated infrastructure. The Bank is extending a sovereign loan of up to KZT 47.4 billion (€ 96.4 million) to state-owned JSC Aqtobe
Construction of solid waste processing plants in major cities of Kazakhstan was considered at a government session this week. Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Yerlan Nysanbayev reported that the government approved a mechanism of preferential financing of projects in the field of waste management. This applies to the purchase of rubbish trucks, the launch
March 11 marked a significant milestone in disaster monitoring and forecasting with the introduction of a cutting-edge IT module designed for Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) monitoring, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kyrgyzstan reported. The unveiling took place within the framework of the “Reducing Risks and Vulnerabilities from Glacier Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF)
Kyrgyzstan’s commitment to the mountain agenda, environmental conservation and climate action took center stage as stakeholders gathered in Bishkek to discuss the establishment of a Conservation Trust Fund (CTF) at a UNDP-hosted round table on March 5 aimed to explore innovative financing mechanisms to safeguard the country’s rich biodiversity and fragile ecosystems, the United Nations
On March 4, a high-level meeting was held in the Turkmen capital with the participation of the Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Helga Schmid and the environmental ministers of the Central Asian countries. Particular attention of the meeting participants was paid to the issues of climate change in order
On March 3, as part of the #ForOurPlanet European Union Global Campaign, the European Union (EU) Delegation to Turkmenistan jointly with the Nature Protection Society of Turkmenistan and Agama Mountain Climbing Club, organised the Green Games of Volunteers. The event took place on the shores of Geokdepe Lake and brought together over 100 participants. EU
American movie director Frank Chi led a four-day workshop for 20 emerging filmmakers from across the Kyrgyz Republic from February 26-29 in Bishkek. Participants learned documentary techniques to create captivating social media content about ecological changes within their communities, the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan reported. Frank Chi’s workshop was organized by Public Foundation Jandan, with funding
