Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, 13–14 May 2025 – Representatives of the Scientific Information Centre of the Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development (SIC ICSD) participated in the 2025 Central Asia Climate Change Conference (CACCC-2025), held under the theme “Advancing the Global Climate Finance Goal through the Implementation of Regional and National Measures in Central Asia.”
The conference was organized by the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) in partnership with the Government of Turkmenistan, and with support from the Central Asia Water and Energy Program (CAWEP), the RESILAND CA+ Initiative of the World Bank, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and other international development partners. The forum brought together over 250 participants from governmental institutions, international and regional organizations, academia, civil society, and youth from all five Central Asian countries.
Photo credit: CAREC official website
The conference served as a key regional platform for strategic dialogue and experience-sharing on climate change mitigation and adaptation, including the preparation of the third round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0). Particular attention was devoted to climate finance - namely the mobilization and efficient management of financial resources, harmonized financial policy formulation, and the shift toward low-carbon, climate-resilient development ensuring water and energy security in the region.
The conference addressed the following priority areas:
- Climate finance mechanisms and sustainable development investment;
- Innovative solutions in climate policy, water resource management, and energy;
- Strengthening regional cooperation on climate adaptation;
- Aligning national climate strategies with the global climate agenda.
It is noteworthy that many of the projects and practices presented during the conference are closely aligned with the priorities of the Regional Environmental Programme for Sustainable Development in Central Asia (REP4SD-CA) 2020–2030, reinforcing the Programme’s relevance as a strategic tool for coordinating environmental policy, mobilizing climate finance, and advancing sustainable solutions across the region.
| REP4SD-CA Priority Areas | Related Regional Projects and Initiatives |
| 2.3 Analysis of anthropogenic and natural impacts on environment to prevent ecosystem degradation in Central Asia, including water ecosystems. | World Bank/WMO Project of Central Asian Flood Early Warning System |
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4.1 Development of a Regional Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation taking into account the context of Central Asian ecosystems and climate risk reduction, development of a unified regional vision, information exchange between national focal points of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and other stakeholders. |
GIZ Regional Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for Central Asia Strategic Goal 1 on Strengthening regional coordination for climate change |
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4.2 Preparation and implementation of regional programs and projects financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), Green Climate Fund (GCF) and other donor agencies. |
GIZ Regional Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for Central Asia Strategic Goal 2 on Creation of mechanisms for the development and implementation of adaptation projects/programs and attraction of financing |
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NDC Partnership Investment Planning Framework for Central Asia |
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| 4.3 Assessment of climate risks and vulnerabilites through the application of corresponding models of a climate change impact on water resources, terrestrial ecosystems and natural disasters, tackling the development of state policies and strategies in this area. |
GIZ Regional Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for Central Asia Strategic Goals 3 on Improve adaptive capacity through accumulation and sharing of knowledge and scientific cooperation & 4 on Development of climate monitoring, information exchange and forecasting systems |
| GIZ Climate Risk Management Programme 2022–2026 | |
| CAREC Climate Change Action Plan 2025–2027 | |
| World Bank Central Asia Hydromet Modernization Project (CAHMP I) | |
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4.4 Monitoring of the glaciers’ condition in Central Asia. Development of a Regional Atlas of Hazardous Transboundary Exogenous Geodynamic Processes, including data on floods, mudflows, landslides, and avalanches using GIS technologies. |
GEF/UNDP/UNESCO Regional Project on Glacio-Nival System Assessment for Climate-Resilient Development; |
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4.4 Monitoring of the glaciers’ condition in Central Asia. Development of a Regional Atlas of Hazardous Transboundary Exogenous Geodynamic Processes, including data on potential threat of glacial lake outburst floods using GIS technologies. |
Regional UNESCO / Adaptation Fund Project “Reducing vulnerabilities of populations in Central Asia to glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFCA)” |
SIC ICSD’s participation in CACCC-2025 reaffirmed its strong commitment to enhancing regional dialogue, supporting the implementation of the REP4SD-CA, and promoting integrated approaches to environmental policy in the face of global climate challenges.