Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 25-28 November 2014 – The 26th meeting of the Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (ICSD of IFAS) was held in Dushanbe. The meeting was organized by the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan. It took place within the framework of Tajikistan’s Chairmanship of the ICSD during 2013-2015 and brought together delegations from the Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — as well as representatives of leading international organizations, including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Tajikistan, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the World Bank, the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and others.
Objectives of the Meeting
The 26th meeting of the Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development focused on in-depth discussion of the current state and future prospects of regional cooperation in the field of environmental protection and sustainable natural resource management in Central Asia.
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Participants of the ICSD Meeting. Photocredit to SIC ICSD
During the meeting, the participants reviewed and confirmed the mandates of the ICSD members and heads of national delegations. Special attention was given to the analysis of the implementation of previous decisions and the report on the activities carried out by the ICSD during the chairmanship of the Republic of Tajikistan.
One of the key items on the agenda was the finalization of the Assessment Study on Strengthening the Institutional and Legal Framework for Regional Environmental Cooperation. In parallel, the implementation programme for these recommendations — formerly referred to as the “Road Map” — was also reviewed and updated.
The meeting further addressed the development of the draft Terms of Reference and Regulations for a working group under the ICSD on one of the priority areas of the Regional Environmental Action Plan for Central Asia (REAP CA), namely the issue of water pollution. Additionally, the participants discussed the establishment of a new ICSD Working Group on Waste Management as an important step in structuring work on priority environmental threats.
The agenda also included ongoing discussions on the promotion of green economy principles in the region and potential areas for enhanced cooperation in this domain. The meeting served as a platform to consider ways to strengthen the institutional capacity of the ICSD and its affiliated bodies in the areas of renewable energy development and energy efficiency, including possibilities for expanding cooperation with international partners.
As such, the meeting addressed both strategic aspects of sustainable development and practical tools for the implementation of joint regional actions under the ICSD framework.
Conclusions and Decisions
A number of important decisions were adopted during the meeting aimed at strengthening the role of the ICSD in the region.
The meeting took note of the information on the implementation of previously adopted ICSD decisions during Tajikistan’s chairmanship, presented by Mr. Khayrullo Ibodzoda, Chairman of the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan. Participants endorsed the revised drafts of the Assessment Study and Implementation Programme to strengthen the institutional and legal framework for regional cooperation, and tasked the ICSD Scientific Information Center with finalizing these documents by 1 February 2015, taking into account comments received from member states.
The meeting welcomed enhanced cooperation with UNEP’s Regional Office for Europe on green economy issues, including the development of the ICSD SIC Ecoportal, the implementation of capacity-building programmes for civil society institutions, and the dissemination of best practices in sustainable development. It also took note of the information on the World Bank’s forthcoming Central Asia Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Programme for Aral Sea Basin (CAMP4ASB), and supported the ICSD’s role in coordinating related activities under this initiative.
Further, the participants supported the proposal to strengthen collaboration with UNECE, including the participation of the ICSD in the 2016 Ministerial Conference “Environment for Europe” in Batumi, and the preparation of project proposals under the REAP CA priority area on water pollution. Particular attention was given to renewable energy development. The Regional Centre for Renewable Energy was requested to prepare proposals for the mid-term development of renewable energy in the region, along with a package of related project proposals.
The meeting also endorsed the initiative of UNEP and the Regional Mountain Centre of Central Asia to organize a seminar in 2015 on climate change adaptation in mountain areas of the region. The mandate of Mr. Y. Dairov as Executive Director of the Regional Mountain Centre was extended for another term.
Finally, it was decided to transfer the ICSD chairmanship to Turkmenistan in 2015. The next ICSD meeting is scheduled to be held in the first half of 2015 in Turkmenistan.
Thus, the 26th ICSD meeting served as an important platform for both strategic dialogue and technical coordination, reinforcing the ICSD’s role as a key regional mechanism for sustainable development in Central Asia.
ICSD Meeting Agenda (RU)
List of Participants (RU)
ICSD Decisions 1-6