The draft code aims to consolidate hundreds of environmental regulations into a single legal framework and address new challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and glacier protection.

Tajikistan is preparing a new Environmental Code designed to bring existing environmental legislation into a unified system. The draft document includes 40 chapters and 570 articles covering environmental protection, natural resource management, climate change, glacier preservation, waste management, and environmental monitoring.

The draft was developed by the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of Tajikistan.

Why existing environmental legislation needs reform

During a parliamentary roundtable in June 2026, Constitutional Court Judge Muhammadjon Mahmadali said that around one-third of Tajikistan’s legislation is related to environmental protection, ecology, and climate change.

According to him, the country currently has more than 400 regulatory acts in this area, including 17 laws directly related to environmental legislation. These laws are expected to be consolidated within the new Environmental Code.

An analysis of existing legislation identified overlapping provisions and inconsistencies that require alignment with modern environmental standards. The review covered laws related to waste management, radioactive waste, hydrometeorology, and environmental impact assessments.

The analysis also found that the implementation of 16 specialized environmental laws requires around 140 additional subordinate regulatory acts. Among the challenges identified were duplication of legal norms and contradictions between different documents.

What changes does the new code propose?

First Deputy Chair of the Committee for Environmental Protection Isfandiyor Shukurzoda described the development of the code as a new stage in the systematization of environmental legislation.

According to him, the document is expected to remove contradictions in the existing legal framework and establish a comprehensive system of environmental security.

The draft is based on Tajikistan’s National Development Strategy until 2030, the Concept of Legal Policy for 2018–2028, the State Environmental Program, and other strategic documents.

The Committee said the code would also incorporate issues related to climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation, glacier protection, the development of a green economy, digitalization, and the use of artificial intelligence.

Glaciers, climate and waste management included in the draft

The proposed code covers a wide range of areas, including environmental labeling, glacier protection, climate change regulation, strategic environmental assessment, and environmental requirements for land, water resources, forests, and other natural ecosystems.

The document also establishes mechanisms for environmental accounting, monitoring, expertise, certification, standardization, auditing, and state regulation of environmental protection.

More than 30 government bodies involved in preparation

The Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) participated in developing the draft code.

CAREC’s Country Office Director in Tajikistan Zebuniso Muminzoda said the document was prepared by an expert group, coordinated with more than 30 government agencies, and discussed through public consultations.

According to her, specialists’ proposals collected during consultations were used to further improve the draft.

The analysis prepared by Muminzoda noted that existing environmental laws had created a regulatory foundation, but many provisions remain insufficiently connected.

In particular, some provisions of the Law “On Environmental Protection” overlap with other environmental laws, while legislation on waste management and environmental impact assessments requires updating to reflect climate change and biodiversity challenges.

Impact on businesses and citizens

Environmental requirements apply to industries such as construction, mining, agriculture, and other activities involving the use of natural resources or affecting the environment.

Currently, these requirements are regulated through various legislative acts. The developers of the code expect the new framework to eliminate duplication and contradictions and establish clearer mechanisms for implementation.

The preparation of the draft also took into account Tajikistan’s international obligations, including commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Monitoring, open data, and international obligations

World Bank Representative in Tajikistan Obaidullah Hidayat during national consultations highlighted three directions: creating a unified system of environmental monitoring, modern permitting procedures, and improving public access to environmental data.

In preparing the draft, international agreements to which Tajikistan is a party were also studied. The analysis of environmental protection legislation mentions the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Paris Agreement on Climate, and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

The developers aim to bring the country’s environmental legislation into alignment with its international obligations.

Current status of the draft

President Emomali Rahmon instructed the Committee for Environmental Protection to prepare the Environmental Code in September 2025. In November of the same year, the Committee announced that the draft would contain 570 articles, while national consultations were held in December.

By June 2026, the draft had been submitted to the Majlisi Namoyandagon, the lower chamber of Tajikistan’s parliament. On June 19, it was discussed by lawmakers, representatives of the Committee for Environmental Protection, the Constitutional Court, ministries, the Academy of Sciences, the Forest Agency, and other state institutions.

As of August 21, 2026, no official information had been published on the final adoption of the Environmental Code or its entry into force. The document remains under consideration as a draft.