Central Asia faces mounting climate risks that threaten water security, energy stability, food systems, and public health. With urgent development needs and emerging opportunities in the green transition, scaling up climate finance through innovative instruments and bold policy reforms is critical. In this context, and in collaboration with the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC), the Coalition for Capacity on Climate Action (C3A), a program supported by The World Bank Group is leading several events at the 2025 Central Asia Climate Change Conference in Ashgabat.
The Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) and the Government of Turkmenistan will host the Central Asia Climate Change Conference (CACCC-2025) from 13 to 15 May 2025 in Ashgabat. The Conference brings together representatives from Central Asian governments, international organizations, and climate experts to advance regional climate action. Under the theme “Achieving the Global Climate Finance Goal through Regional and National Actions in Central Asia,” the conference will focus on mobilizing financial resources, strengthening regional cooperation, and enhancing resilience to the escalating impacts of climate change. As the region faces rising temperatures, desertification, and rapid glacial melt, CACCC-2025 will serve as a critical platform to address shared challenges and identify solutions that support a low-carbon, climate-resilient future.
In line with this year’s theme, C3A will actively contribute to CACCC-2025 by organizing and supporting a series of strategic events aimed at advancing climate policy development and financing strategies in the region.
On 12 May 2025, C3A will host a dedicated side event, a “Regional Scenarios for Central Asia Workshop.” This responds to the growing interest of Central Asian Ministries of Finance in developing macroeconomic climate scenarios to inform long-term policy planning. The session will convene representatives from Ministries of Finance, sectoral experts, and development partners to explore the economic impacts of climate change, identify opportunities for low-carbon development, and assess the political economy of climate decision-making.
The following day, on 13 May 2025, C3A, in partnership with the World Bank, will co-organize a high-level panel discussion “Innovative Tools for Designing Climate Financing Strategies in Central Asia.” This session will highlight the pivotal role of finance in enabling climate action and transition planning, with a focus on the opportunities a program supported by The World Bank and CSF 2 and challenges of using instruments such as green bonds, debt-for-climate swaps, sustainability-linked financing, and blended finance solutions in the region. The session will explore how coherent policy mixes, such as carbon pricing, subsidy reform, regulatory frameworks, and targeted fiscal incentives, can mobilize private and public finance, de-risk investments, and accelerate the transition to low-carbon, climate-resilient economies. A key theme will be the potential for regional cooperation to support the design and financing of transition strategies, drawing on country experiences and emerging best practices.
In addition to organizing these sessions, C3A Co-Directors William Hynes and Etienne Espagne will moderate a panel discussion during CACCC 2025, engaging regional stakeholders in a forward-looking dialogue on accelerating climate finance and enhancing implementation capacity in Central Asia.
“Central Asian countries are on the frontlines of the climate crisis, facing accelerating impacts, resource constraints, and the need to shift away from carbon-intensive development models. At the same time, the global climate finance architecture is evolving, and the scale of investment needed is rising sharply. Through these sessions, C3A aims to explore how countries can bridge global financing mechanisms and regional implementation. We will also engage Ministries of Finance, development agencies, and the private sector in practical dialogue, identifying actionable, multi-stakeholder financing solutions that can accelerate national and regional climate policies”, said William Hynes, C3A Program Co-Director.
Through these contributions, and with the insights of experts from CAREC, the World Bank, Finance Ministries’ officials and development agencies’ representatives, C3A reaffirms its commitment to supporting regional efforts in strengthening climate policy frameworks, building institutional capacity, and facilitating access to the financial tools necessary to achieve national and global climate goals. a program supported by The World Bank and CSF 3
Press contact
Roxane Dody – rdody@worldbank.org
About C3A
The Coalition for Capacity on Climate Action (C3A) is the Ministries of Finance’ Climate Think Tank hosted by the World Bank. C3A bridges the gap between science and policy on climate and nature-related economic and financial policies. It engages with Ministries of Finance, whole of government and local as well as global research ecosystems to support informed policy debates on ways to achieve shared prosperity on a livable planet. C3A was launched in June 2023 at the Paris Summit for a New Global Financing Pact as a specialized research and policy platform to support the development of peer exchange among Ministries of Finance, trainings on critical policy issues and collaboration on analytical supporting tools required to deliver sustainable, inclusive, and resilient economies and financial systems.
The main partners of C3A are the Coalition for Finance Ministers on Climate Action, the World Bank with the Climate Support Facility Trust Fund as the main funder. Institutional partners coordinate the regional and thematic hubs, with academics, practitioners and experts forming a global Knowledge Network.
https://www.climatecapacitycoalition.org/en
Download the C3A press release