For the past year, Central Asia has made great strides in setting ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase resilience and adaptation, stated the GIZ Cluster Coordinator Regional Programmes Central Asia, Torsten Brezina, at the opening ceremony of CACCC-2024.
“The countries of Central Asia are working together, hand in hand, to confront climate change. This was the clear message of the presence of Central Asian countries at UNFCCC COP28,” said Torsten Brezina.
He emphasized the strong regional position of the Central Asian countries at UNFCCC COP28 and praised the work of the Central Asia Pavilion at COP28.
“I believe that it is crucial to draw the attention of the world community to the problems of the Central Asian region due to its high vulnerability and the strong impact of climate change. I believe that a regional approach and the development of transboundary solutions are the only way to counter negative impacts and consequences of climate change in the long term,” Torsten Brezina emphasized.
The GIZ Cluster Coordinator Regional Programmes Central Asia noted the importance of the outcomes of COP28 both for the entire world community and the countries of Central Asia, specifically, the decisions on the Loss and Damage Fund. According to Torsten Brezina, Germany has pledged to pay $100 million to the Fund, the resources of which can also be used by the Central Asian countries in the future.
The Central Asia Climate Change Conference (CACCC-2024) is organized by the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) within the “Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program in the Aral Sea Basin AF” (CAMP4ASB AF), Central Asia Water and Energy Program (CAWEP), and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, in cooperation with The Global Partnership for Sustainable and Resilient Landscapes (PROGREEN), NDC Partnership (NDCP), Coalition for Capacity on Climate Action (C3A), Asia Development Bank (ADB), Asia Development Institute (ADBI), International Organization for Migration (IOM), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), SWITCH-Asia— a programme funded by the European Union, the Kazakh-German University (DKU), Green Academy along with valuable support provided from other partners.
The CAMP4ASB AF project is implemented by CAREC together with EC IFAS with the financial support of the World Bank and the Green Climate Fund.
The Central Asia Water and Energy Program (CAWEP) is a partnership between the World Bank, the European Union, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom aimed at creating conditions for improving water and energy security at the regional level and in beneficiary countries in a changing climate.
For more information, please contact Irina Bekmirzaeva, Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Programme Manager/CAMP4ASB Project Coordinator, at ibekmirzaeva@carececo.org