Central Asia Unites Against Climate Change with Bold New Pledges
ASTANA - Central Asia is entering a decisive phase in its response to climate change, with experts warning that while governments increasingly understand the scale of the risks, the real challenge now lies in turning commitments into coordinated action.
"Central Asia is among the few countries that are taking advantage of their natural endowment and using nature as the affordable and available technology that it is, not just to deliver on opportunity, not just to create jobs, but again, to make sure to build a livable planet," said Valerie Hickey, director for environment at the World Bank Group, addressing the opening of the Central Asian Conference on Climate Change in Astana on April 22.
The conference took place as part of the Regional Ecological Summit in the capital on April 22-24. The latest edition was in Ashgabat in May 2025.
Hickey commended the countries in the regions for demonstrating how to attract private investment while easing pressure on public finances, pointing to investments in core infrastructure, particularly energy and water, as well as efforts to strengthen business regulation and create a predictable environment that supports private sector activity.
"We are very proud to be part of just, for example, three of these initiatives. At the World Bank Group, we have invested $1 billion in RE-MET, which is the Regional Energy Market Interconnectivity and Trade Program, which forms the basis of ensuring a shared regional power market that will bring down the price of energy and increase opportunity for small business, for big business, for every community-led organization," she explained.
She emphasized that the effort goes beyond coordinating investment and that technical assistance should be aligned as well. She highlighted cooperation with the United Kingdom, the Swiss government, and the European Commission under the Central Asia Water and Energy Program, aimed at ensuring coordinated advice, technical support and investment in the region's critical water and energy resources.
Kazakhstan's Vice Minister for Ecology and Natural Resources Mansur Oshurbayev said climate change has long ceased to be just an ecological issue.
"It is also a question of the stability of the economy, security and efficiency of state policy. In these conditions, the transition to low-carbon development and transformation of energy systems are of particular importance. For Central Asian countries, this means the need to simultaneously ensure energy security, modernize infrastructure and reduce the environmental impact of the economy," said Oshurbayev.
Kazakhstan submitted its third Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in October 2025, committing to a 17% unconditional emission reduction target and below 1990 levels by 2035, and up to 25% with international support.
UN Assistant Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction Kamal Kishore described the climate crisis as an "emergency that is already at our doorstep." He urged greater coherence, stronger cooperation and scaled-up implementation, stressing that disasters are not inevitable. Even amid a climate crisis, early, collective and decisive action can prevent hazards from turning into disasters.
"NDC 3.0 must move beyond actual commitments and become a tool for managing shared risks, reducing vulnerability and strengthening resilience. Fortunately, the region is already making important progress in this regard. All Central Asian countries have now developed and updated their NDCs with several already advancing to NDC 3.0 and ambition is increasing. But as we all know, ambition alone is not enough," said Kishore.
Addressing the conference, Mariana Panuncio-Feldman, director of country engagement at NDC Partnership, reported a noticeable improvement in the quality of NDCs developed across the region.
"The partnership represents a global coalition of developed and developing countries working to advance ambitious climate action aligned with national development priorities while supporting the goals of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. The partnership has more than 260 members.
"We are seeing that three countries have so far submitted NDCs, Kyrgyzstan being the first one, and Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan following in the fourth quarter of 2025, and two countries are submitting NDCs in 2026, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan," she said.
