A Regional Consultation process has been embarked as an important step in collective efforts to strengthen resilience to climate change in the Central Asian region

On 13-14 July, over 50 participants representing government and civil society organizations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as well as international organizations convened the OSCE Regional Consultation workshop on climate change and security in Central Asia in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The Regional Consultation Workshop was organized within the framework of the OSCE extra-budgetary project “Strengthening responses to security risks from climate change in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia”.

The initiative aimed to discuss climate change and security challenges in the region and to identify regional cooperation opportunities and joint actions to address these challenges.

During the event, participants exchanged views and shared a common understanding of the relationship between climate change and security;

In his opening remarks, Ralf Ernst, Deputy Co-ordinator and Head of Environmental Activities at the OCEEA, drew attention to the 2021 OSCE Ministerial Council Decision on climate change and underlined that addressing the complex challenges caused by climate change requires transboundary/regional cooperation. “With today’s initiative, the OSCE aims to create new avenues for transboundary and regional cooperation to reduce the risks for the benefit of prosperity, stability and security in the region,” said Ernst.

The Center took an active part in the session «Entry points for transboundary cooperation in Central Asia» in presenting the initiative of the Center for the creation of the Central Asian Regional Emergency Early Warning System to enhance the region’s resilience to natural disasters.