.

The United Nations Environment Programme

in Central Asia

Cooperation on enabling conditions for Green

Economy

Jurmala

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

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

GovernancePoverty &

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

5

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

4/20/2015 9

• 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

4/20/2015 12

• 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)

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