The 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference, better known as COP31, is taking place in Antalya, Türkiye, from November 9 to 20. Delegations from almost 200 countries will participate in the event, including all the Central Asian republics, but Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan will play an outsize role in coordinating their messaging and ensuring the regional environmental agenda gets the time it needs in the spotlight.
The buzzword for the C5 in Türkiye is “cooperation.” Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources will host a meeting for Central Asia’s five environmental ministers at its national pavilion to discuss regional cooperation and joint climate initiatives. Uzbekistan is committed to contributing to common positions on glacier retreat, water security, adaptation needs, and equitable access to climate finance through the multilateral Mountain Group and the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs). Turkmenistan will continue pushing for the formation of the Ashgabat Climate Dialogue as a new multilateral platform for promoting climate change initiatives. In line with its Mountain Agenda, the Kyrgyz Republic will be lobbying for support to establish the Global Mountain Resilience Center in Bishkek.
Mobilizing affordable climate finance is critical for all the republics. According to the Climate Policy Initiative, global climate finance reached $2 trillion in 2024, against estimated annual mitigation finance needs of $7.8 trillion through 2030. In an interview with The Times of Central Asia, Aziz Abdukhakimov, Presidential Adviser on Environmental Issues and Chair of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, stated:
“Access to adequate, predictable and affordable climate finance remains essential for developing countries to achieve their climate goals. For Uzbekistan, the implementation of our national climate commitments is estimated to require approximately $33.7 billion for mitigation and $15.7 billion for adaptation by 2030.”
Closing, or at least narrowing, that gap requires building support among international financial institutions, multilateral development banks, development partners, and private investors. The GEF Council, meeting in Samarkand ahead of the Eighth GEF Assembly, endorsed a $3.9 billion replenishment package (GEF-9), demonstrating donor interest and tangible commitment to climate projects, including for a restoration project in the Chu and Talas river basins shared by Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and for a risk mitigation facility to attract private investment into Uzbekistan’s renewable energy sector.
But there is hope that commitments at COP31 will go further. In September 2026, during Climate Week NYC, President-Designate Murat Kurum announced that Uzbekistan would be one of the first five pilot countries to receive support under the Climate Implementation Bridge (BRIDGE), the flagship initiative of COP31. This represents an important opportunity to translate national climate priorities into investment-ready projects and facilitate access to international financing. In his interview, Abdukhakimov stated that Uzbekistan’s focus will be “mobilizing investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency, climate-resilient infrastructure, sustainable water management, agriculture and ecosystem restoration.”
At the same time, Kazakhstan will be presenting its plans to establish a national climate investment platform, plus a framework partnership program for developing the circular economy across Central Asia. Tajikistan will be lobbying for greater financial support for vulnerable mountain ecosystems and local adaptation plans. The Kyrgyz Republic aims to mobilize climate and biodiversity finance for 26 projects published in the country’s Climate Investment Program (2026–2030).
Each of the Central Asian republics has a national pavilion at COP31, and as the delegations control their respective side event programs, the topics are indicative of their priorities. The 36 events scheduled at the Kazakhstan Pavilion are being organized jointly by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and Zhasyl Damu JSC, which manages the recycling and the processing and secondary reuse of materials. Technology, including the application of artificial intelligence and space technologies, methane emissions monitoring, and energy efficiency, features prominently. The Turkmenistan Pavilion will spotlight methane emissions, land restoration, and climate change adaptation strategies. For the Kyrgyz Republic, the Mountain Agenda (including the proposed Global Mountain Resilience Center) is the centerpiece.
In its pavilion, Uzbekistan has chosen to highlight big-picture issues such as climate adaptation, youth engagement, and green technologies. “Climate adaptation is particularly important for Uzbekistan and the wider Central Asian region,” explained Abdukhakimov. “Rising temperatures, water scarcity, glacier retreat, drought and land degradation are increasingly affecting economic development and people’s livelihoods.” The value Uzbekistan attaches to collaboration with development partners is also clear in events such as “Uzbekistan-UNDP Strategic Climate Partnership: From Commitments to Investment and Resilience,” which will take place on November 11.
At COP31, Uzbekistan will also formally propose the Silk Road Declaration on Human Mobility in the Context of Climate Change. This regional framework will enhance cooperation on climate-related human mobility among countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus. It acknowledges that migration patterns are changing and climate change threatens livelihoods. Countries must adapt and build the resilience of the most vulnerable communities. The “Advancing Human Mobility in the Context of Climate Change” event will take place at the Uzbekistan Pavilion on November 10.
Going into COP31, Abdukhakimov speaks for Uzbekistan, but his message is equally poignant for all the Central Asian republics:
“Regional cooperation is not only about responding to risks. It is also about creating opportunities… By working together, we can share knowledge, mobilize resources, develop joint projects and achieve results that would be difficult for individual countries to deliver alone… Our message at COP31 is clear: the climate challenges facing Asia are interconnected, and our responses must be equally coordinated. Through regional solidarity, stronger international partnerships and collective action, we can turn shared challenges into opportunities for sustainable development and a more resilient future.”
