Today, CAMP4ASB project presented the results of the eight-year work at the panel session “The Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin (CAMP4ASB): Achievements, Lessons Learned, and Future Directions”.
As the coordinator of the CAMP4ASB project Irina Bekmirzaeva noted, CAMP4ASB is a regional initiative implemented by the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) from 2016 to 2024, aimed at increasing climate resilience and adaptation in Central Asia.
“The project focuses on strengthening regional cooperation on climate change, improving climate information services and integrating climate change issues into national development plans, as well as supporting climate investments implemented in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan,” said Irina Bekmirzaeva.
Member of the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (EC IFAS) Serik Bekmaganbetov positively assessed the work of the CAMP4ASB project and expressed hope that this meeting will determine the vectors of joint development of the CAMP4ASB and the Action Program to Assist the Countries of the Aral Sea Basin (ASBP).
Dr. Asferachew Abate, Senior Environmental Specialist at the World Bank, emphasized the negative impact of the drying up of the Aral Sea on all spheres of life. According to him, the project CAMP4ASB helped in solving critical problems of adaptation and mitigation of the effects of climate change in the Aral Sea basin.
Asferachew Abate believes that despite the large work of CAMP4ASB it is not enough and it must continue its important works since Central Asia need more projects to help rural communities to adapt climate change.
“The success of CAMP4ASB underscores the necessity of regional cooperation and integrated approaches to water and energy management. The program has demonstrated that collaborative efforts yield greater gains than unilaterial actions,” underlined Asferachew Abate.
Abdalah Mokssit, Secretary of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), expressed his deep appreciation to CAREC for its valuable contribution to the work of the IPCC. CAREC has become a link for the IPCC to provide extensive information on climate change in Central Asia, involving experts and scientists from Central Asia in the work of the IPCC.
Abdalah Mokssit, highly appreciated the work of CAMP4ASB in the wide dissemination of IPCC assessment and special reports in the Central Asian region and expressed hope for further fruitful cooperation with CAREC.
Zafar Makhmudov, the CAREC Executive Director, highlighted such CAMP4ASB results as the implementation of more than 300 projects on climate-smart agriculture covering about 40,000 people in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the creation of the Central Asia Climate Information Platform, the organization of the first Pavilion of Central Asian countries in the history of the UNFCCC at COP26.
“Today, relying on the achieved foundation, we must outline new horizons for regional climate cooperation,” Zafar Makhmudov concluded.
Over the eight years of implementation, the project has achieved significant results. The Central Asia Climate Information Platform (CACIP) has been established, providing access to more than 4000 climate information products and facilitating data exchange between users and institutions. The project implemented 310 micro-projects on climate-smart agriculture, benefiting a total of 39,011 beneficiaries (50% women), exceeding the target of 35,000 beneficiaries. As a result of the project, 2690 people implemented climate-smart agricultural technologies (53.5% women) and created 21,310 jobs in Uzbekistan and 31,910 jobs in Tajikistan, which demonstrated the project’s contribution to sustainable economic development in the region.
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
