Dr. Iskandar Abdullaev, Regional Environmental Center for Central Asia (CAREC) Special Regional Session: Implementing the water related SDGs in the UNECE region

1. Central Asian cooperation
mechanisms: achievements
and challenges
Dr. Iskandar Abdullaev,
Regional Environmental Center
for Central Asia (CAREC)

2. Environmental Challenges in Central
Asia
• 60 million people (90 million in 2050)- demographic pressure
• Growing economy- total GDP $600 billion+ $4-5 billion annual growth -
economic pressure
• Resource intensive- high footprint development mode
• Outdated infrastructure, institutes and policies- path dependency
• Serious consequences of climate change- new challenges

3. Central Asia: Environmental Challenges
• Anthropogenic Pressure on Environment:
– Quality and quantity
– Diversity and functions
• Climate Change Impact:
– Reduction of river flows
– Higher water-energy demand
• Degraded Natural Biodiversity :
– Reduced numbers and types
– Degraded areas and resources
• Reduced Ecosystem Services:
– Social and economical losses

4. Central Asia: Environmental
Challenges
• Central Asia will be worst affected by climate change
with river flow reduction of up to 25-30% by 2030
• Environmental resilience – reduced less biodiversity
Stronger institutional capacities, social resilience and
economic power required

5. Central Asia: Regional Cooperation
• Regional Cooperation- pre-requisite for
sustainable development
• Transboundary nature of natural resources,
processes and infrastructure
• Past dependency and common challenges
• Economic growth limitations and social
cohesion

6. Regional Cooperation in Central Asia
• Regional Organizations: IFAS, ICSD, ICWC-
partnership Memoranda's and active cooperation
• Regional Networks: research- academia, basin
organizations, environmental experts
• Regional Working groups: water quality, basin
planning, SEIS, PES
• Regional processes: ASBP-3, Regional Environmental
Goals, Green Business Club
• Partnerships: state, civil – society, business and
international processes

7. Roles of Regional Organizations
Regional
Organizations
Policy
formulation
Information/
Awareness
building
Monitoring
and
Assessment
Project
Implement
ation
EC IFAS + + +
ICSD + +
ICWC + + +
CAREC + + +

8. Regional Cooperation:
achievements
• Regional Organizations: ownership,
internalization, rotation of governance,
professionalization
• Regional dialogue: (i) continuity, (ii) processes,
(iii) platform for discussion
• Regional cooperation: (i) reduction of conflicts,
short-term solutions (water allocation), regular

9. Regional Cooperation: Examples
• Central Asia Initiative (CAI): (i) regional environmental
goals, (ii) support to civil society, (iii)
• Water Quality cooperation (UNECE+CAREC): (i)
analysis of current state, (ii) regional working group, (iii)
regional water quality standards
• Aral Sea programmes (ASBP-I,II,III): (i) nationally
agreed regional projects, (ii) continuity, (iii) national and
regional components- linked

10. Regional Cooperation: Challenges
• Regional Organizations: sectoral, un-
coordinated, longer process of negotiations and
decision making
• Regional Processes: outdated, un-linked from
national priorities and global development
• Regional Cooperation: ad-hock, context based,
conflictive and result less

11. Regional Cooperation: new efforts
• EU Strategy for Central Asia: (i) support to regional joint
activities, (ii) strengthening of regional cooperation, (iii)
coordination of EU regional efforts
• New Silk Road Initiative: (i) joint research and scientific
cooperation, (ii)
• Berlin Process: (i) Strengthening of regional organizations,
(ii) Capacity building, (iii) transboundary cooperation
• Regional Organizations: (i) Urgench conference, (ii) ICSD
and ICWM meetings, (iii) Meeting of regional organizations
(CAREC)

12. Regional Cooperation: Scenarios
• Cooperation: regional organizations, processes
and cooperation will improve. Economy and
Security will drive cooperation
• Consolidation: regional organizations will
consolidate process and cooperation modes
• Disintegration: reduced cooperation, no or few
regional processes

13. SDG’s: Central Asia
• Central Asia’s representation in setting post-2015
(SDGs) could be improved through regional institutions
• SDG’s implementation is interest for Central Asian
states: (i) for prosperity, (ii) security and (iii) sustainability
• SDG’s successful implementation requires system of
monitoring: (i) indicators, (ii) information management
and (iii) exchange

14. Regional Cooperation: SDG’s
Accountability Mechanisms
• Regional level:
– facilitate exchange of best practices and lessons learned
– identify solutions to shared challenges and transboundary issues
– inputs can serve to prepare reviews at the global level.
– translate global goals into policies, guidelines, recommendations
and standards at the national level,
– mobilize partnerships at the regional level
– build ownership and understanding for the universal nature of the
SDG in the region

15. • Promotion of Set of indicators: Shared Environmental
Information System (SEIS)
• Using Advanced Reporting Approaches and Tools:
Annual State of Environmental Reporting (SoE)
• Improving Public Access to the Information: Aarhus
Centers and access to the information
Regional Cooperation: SDG’s
Accountability Mechanisms

16. Regional Cooperation: SDG’s
Accountability Mechanisms
• Methodological support:
– data and reporting requirements for SDG’s
– Application and use of SEIS for SoE Reports
• Advice and capacity building for regional
networks:
– Instruments and capacity building
– Access to knowledge and know-how