The sixteenth meeting of the Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development (ICSD) was held in June 2007 in Bishkek. The meeting reviewed and endorsed the report of the Chair of the ICSD on the activities of the Commission during Turkmenistan’s chairmanship (2004-2007). The participants adopted the Statute of the Regional Mountain Centre of Central Asia (RMC CA) and mandated the Chair of the ICSD to oversee the establishment of its office in Bishkek. A Joint Statement of the Ministers of Environment of the Central Asian countries was also prepared and endorsed for submission to the Belgrade Ministerial Conference “Environment for Europe” (October 2007). Particular attention was given to the development of the CARNet information network and the regional web portal on sustainable development for Central Asia and the Russian Federation, aimed at promoting civil society engagement, raising public awareness and advancing sustainable development policies through the use of modern information and communication technologies (ICTs).
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The seventeenth meeting of the ICSD took place in November 2007 in Bishkek. The Commission mandated the Scientific-Information Centre of the ICSD (SIC ICSD) to further refine the draft Subregional Strategy for Sustainable Development of Central Asia (SSSD-CA) and circulate it for broad consultations among stakeholders. The meeting also decided to establish an Organizing Committee for the preparation of the Ministerial Conference on Environment of the Asia-Pacific region (2010) and the Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference (2011, Kazakhstan). The participants reviewed the draft Statute of the RMC CA Governing Council and agreed on amendments to the RMC Charter. In conclusion, the Commission instructed to consider the establishment of a Legal Adviser position to support the Chair of the ICSD.
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The eighteenth meeting of the ICSD convened in June 2008 in Cholpon-Ata was devoted to issues of cooperation with international partners. The Commission considered the implementation of the Agreement with the WWF Central Asia Programme on the development of the “Econet” ecological network, the activities of the CAREC, and the preparation of projects under the Central Asian Initiative for the Ministerial Conference in Astana (2011). By ICSD decision, the process was initiated to improve the Regional Environmental Action Plan (REAP), taking into account climate risks, and to prepare a Strategy for Regional Cooperation in the field of environmental protection and sustainable development. The meeting also discussed the participation of the ICSD in international initiatives and forums, as well as opportunities for mobilizing financing through the Adaptation Fund. The ICSD approved projects submitted by Tajikistan on the study of mountain glacial lakes at risk of outburst and on the assessment of glacier dynamics in the Central Asian countries in the context of climate change. By decision of the ICSD, the reports of the Public Council and the Youth Environmental Network of the countries of Central Asia were taken into account, and the results of the first Small Grants Programme and plans for its further development were endorsed.
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The nineteenth meeting of the ICSD was held in November 2008 in Bishkek. Particular attention was devoted to the process of accession by Central Asian States to the Framework Convention on Environmental Protection for Sustainable Development in Central Asia. The delegations of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan presented updates, and the ICSD Chair was mandated to approach the Interim Secretariat of the Convention to assess the preliminary financial requirements for the functioning of the permanent Secretariat and annual country contributions. The meeting also reviewed the report on the activities of the ICSD, SIC ICSD, the ICSD Public Council and the Youth Environmental Network of Central Asia during the two-year chairmanship of Kyrgyzstan. The participants approved the composition of the Governing Council of the RMC-CA, appointed Mr. I.A. Dairov as its Executive Director, and tasked him to initiate negotiations with donors to mobilize resources for the Centre’s 2009 programme of work, as well as to prepare the opening of its branch in Tajikistan. In light of climate change and emerging environmental challenges, the meeting endorsed the draft Medium-term ICSD Strategy and the revised Regional Environmental Action Plan (REAP), including their indicative budgetary provisions.
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