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Regional Ecological Summit

Central Asian Countries to Jointly Address Cryosphere Threats

As part of the Regional Ecological Summit (RES 2026) in Astana, the UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty organised a session titled “The Cryosphere of Central Asia: From Scientific Assessment to Joint Climate Adaptation Action,” in cooperation with Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The event was held under the GEF-UNDP-UNESCO Cryosphere project and in collaboration with Central Asian countries. The session focused on discussing the Joint Subregional Action Programme (JSAP) on the cryosphere, a framework document developed by Central Asian countries with UNESCO’s support. The programme is aimed at strengthening regional cooperation in monitoring and research on glaciers, snow cover, and permafrost, as well as aligning approaches to climate change adaptation, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources. Central Asia is experiencing accelerated glacier melt. Under a high-emissions scenario, the region could lose up to 85% of its glacier volume by 2100 compared to 2020 levels. This would increase pressure on water resources, infrastructure, and communities, while also heightening the risk of natural hazards, including glacial lake outburst floods. As these processes are regional in nature, they require coordinated responses across Central Asian countries. “UNESCO has been actively supporting Central Asian countries in strengthening the scientific basis and advancing regional cooperation on the cryosphere. Today, the key priority is to move from scientific assessment to concrete action. The Joint Subregional Action Programme provides a practical framework for this transition and enhances coordination of adaptation efforts across the region,” said Amir Piric, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty. As a key outcome of the session, heads of relevant government authorities from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan responsible for environmental protection issued a joint statement supporting JSAP implementation, reaffirming their commitment to strengthened regional cooperation. “Today it is clear that no country can effectively address climate change challenges alone. Regional cooperation is therefore essential. The Joint Statement reflects the readiness of Central Asian countries to join efforts and develop coordinated approaches to climate change adaptation,” said Nurlan Kurmalayev, Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan. The JSAP provides a foundation for coordinated action among countries and partners, defines cooperation priorities, and supports the advancement of climate adaptation measures in the region. The joint statement also opens opportunities to mobilise funding from various sources, including donors, international financial institutions, and the private sector.

Regional Ecological Summit

Regional Ecological Summit in Astana Produces Ecology Declaration and Broader Regional Agenda

Central Asian leaders have adopted the Astana declaration on ecology and sustainable development, giving the Regional Ecological Summit in Astana a formal political outcome while a wider package of biodiversity, climate, and pollution initiatives takes shape around it. Kazakhstan’s environment ministry says the five heads of state adopted the document, titled “Ecological Solidarity of Central Asia,” during the April 22 to 24 Summit. The declaration sets out a common regional position on several of Central Asia’s biggest environmental pressures. According to the ministry summary, the text calls for closer coordination in climate negotiations, glacier preservation, the mountain agenda, biodiversity, chemical and waste management, plastic pollution, air quality, land degradation, and desertification. It also presents the declaration as a contribution to ecological sustainability, inclusive economic growth, and a sustainable future for the region. Water runs through the document, but the language is careful. The declaration welcomes work on an interstate program to conserve the Caspian Sea and expresses concern about declining water levels and the shallowing of lakes in Central Asia. It also notes Kazakhstan’s proposal for a possible International Water Organization within the United Nations system, but stops short of endorsing its creation. The summit’s outcome does not rest on a single document. On April 24, the United Nations Environment Programme said the Astana meeting had launched new regional partnerships on circular economy and glaciers, while countries established common approaches on biodiversity, climate action, and air pollution. UNEP also said a regional climate and ecology investment portfolio was set up to widen access to international finance for environmental projects. A separate biodiversity track had already produced its own result earlier in the week. On April 22, UNDP in Kazakhstan said Central Asian countries had signed a regional declaration on biodiversity conservation during a high-level plenary session in Astana. According to UNDP, the document envisages an umbrella programme and action plan, as well as a regional resource mobilization plan to be presented at COP17 in Armenia. Outside confirmation of the main declaration has also become clearer. EFE reported on April 22 that the five Central Asian republics had approved the Astana Declaration of Ecological Solidarity, linking it to Tokayev’s focus on water security, the Aral Sea, and the Caspian. Put together, the Astana summit now looks like a broader regional attempt to turn shared ecological pressure into a workable political agenda. The summit’s next test will be whether these declarations and partnerships are followed by funding, coordination, and cross-border implementation.

Regional Ecological Summit

Astana Ecological Summit Turns Regional Climate Pressure Into a Call for Joint Action

On April 22, 2026, leaders from Central Asia and neighboring states opened the Regional Ecological Summit 2026 in Astana on Earth Day with an urgent and practical message: the region’s environmental crisis is no longer a future risk, but a present constraint on water, food, energy, and economic security. The summit, held under the theme “A Shared Vision for a Sustainable Future,” was organized by Kazakhstan with the United Nations and international partners. Its stated purpose is to develop policy tools for protecting, restoring, and jointly using ecosystems, water and land resources, and conserving biodiversity in Central Asia. The program includes 58 events, consultations on a possible International Water Organization within the UN system, and expected documents, including a Central Asian declaration on environmental solidarity and a 2026–2030 regional action program. [caption id="attachment_47607" align="aligncenter" width="775"] President Tokayev gives his keynote address at the Regional Ecological Summit in Astana; Image: TCA[/caption] Opening the plenary, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev argued that environmental policy must not become another dividing line in global politics. He called for a fair and balanced green transition, especially for developing economies, and warned that Central Asia’s shared rivers, landscapes, and climate risks demand shared responsibility. Tokayev singled out water scarcity, desertification, glacier melt, air pollution and biodiversity loss as the region’s core challenges. He also highlighted Kazakhstan’s plans to expand renewable energy, protect the Caspian Sea, restore the Northern Aral, and start consultations on a proposed International Water Organization. [video width="720" height="1280" mp4="https://timesca.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/no-comments-Reels.mp4"][/video] The water question dominated the speeches. President Sadyr Japarov said that Kyrgyzstan bears a disproportionate burden despite its small contribution to global emissions. He pointed to a sharp increase in mudflows and floods, shrinking glaciers, and the fact that most water formed in Kyrgyzstan flows to neighboring states. His proposal was blunt: downstream users should help co-finance the water infrastructure and ecosystem services that upstream countries maintain. Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev turned the summit into a platform for concrete regional initiatives. In his official speech, he said that Central Asia is warming twice as fast as the global average, has already lost nearly a third of its glaciers, and faces land degradation across 80 million hectares. He proposed a Clean Air consortium, a regional desertification and drought center, a green trade corridor, a unified climate-investment portfolio, an environmental atlas and a Central Asian Red Book. Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon brought the glacier crisis into sharp relief. Tajikistan supplies much of Central Asia’s water, but its glaciers are retreating, threatening water balance and increasing disaster risks. Rahmon linked the environmental agenda to hydropower, green finance, biodiversity protection, and water diplomacy, and invited partners to continue the discussion at a high-level water conference in Dushanbe. Turkmenistan's President Serdar Berdimuhamedov backed a stronger institutional approach, proposing a UN-supported regional council on water use to align national policies and manage transboundary resources more transparently. He also announced a high-level Caspian Sea ecology meeting in Turkmenistan for October 2026. Heads of state from beyond Central Asia widened the frame. Armenia’s...

Regional Ecological Summit

Regional Ecological Summit to Open in Astana Amid Pressure on Water, Trade, and Regional Cooperation

When the Regional Ecological Summit (RES 2026) opens in Astana this Wednesday, the official framing will center on Shared Vision for a Resilient Future, combining practical regional solutions with diplomatic ambitions that include a Joint Declaration and a 2026-2030 Program of Action. Behind that language sits a harder reality. Water and energy officials in Tashkent, Bishkek, and Astana are dealing with a region which is drying out faster than its infrastructure and politics are adapting. That gives the summit a sharper edge than earlier environmental gatherings. Two issues stand out: the management of winter water-sharing arrangements ahead of the irrigation season, and the way the shrinking Caspian could constrain the Middle Corridor. The Toktogul Equation: A Fragile "Winter-for-Summer" Swap The most immediate point of pressure is the Toktogul Reservoir in Kyrgyzstan. In late 2025, an agreement was reached under which Kyrgyzstan would limit winter hydropower generation, preserving water for downstream Kazakh and Uzbek farmers, in exchange for electricity supplies from its neighbors. The arrangement remains in place, but its durability will be tested as summer demand rises. One question hanging over the summit is whether Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan will provide enough power support to help Kyrgyzstan conserve water without reopening old upstream-downstream tensions. For downstream states, that is not only a water issue but an agricultural and political one. The Caspian Emergency: Depth as a Trade Barrier For years, the shallowing of the Caspian was treated as a long-term problem. In 2026, it is becoming an operational one. According to recent reporting, Aktau port is operating at an average depth of 4.5 meters, far below the 6.5 to 7 meters needed for full operations. The summit will also highlight the Integrated Management of Seascapes project. The UNDP-linked initiative is intended to balance the need for dredging and port access with protection of the northern Caspian’s fragile ecosystem. That tension is no longer theoretical. It now touches trade, shipping capacity, and the future of the corridor itself. The Digital Transition One of the summit’s more concrete strands is the National Water Resources Information System. According to the Kazakh government, the system is to enter industrial operation by the end of 2026. The plan is to automate 103 irrigation canals in southern Kazakhstan using $1.15 billion in financing from the Islamic Development Bank. The broader regional test is whether neighboring states will share enough data to support a cross-border water monitoring system, giving officials a clearer view of how shared resources are being managed. The Green Energy Corridor Alongside the water agenda, the Green Energy Corridor remains one of the projects that clearly aligns Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan. The plan is to transmit green electricity to Europe via a subsea cable across the Caspian. CESI is finalizing the feasibility study, pointing to an export model that leans less on hydrocarbons and more on regional infrastructure. It also shows how environmental pressure and economic strategy are starting to overlap. For Central Asian governments, climate policy is no longer only about adaptation. It is...

Access to Clean Water

Water Stress: Will the Summer of 2026 Become a Turning Point for Central Asia?

The summer of 2026 is projected to be a critical and potentially decisive period for Central Asia in the context of water stress. The region is entering the growing season with significantly lower water reserves in its main river basins, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, compared to previous years. The combined impact of climate change and rising consumption is expected to exacerbate irrigation shortages, threatening crop yields and food security. A Region Under Pressure: Water as a Strategic Factor For Kazakhstan, water is taking on an increasing strategic importance in 2026. The southern regions, Kyzylorda, Turkestan, and Zhambyl, have already entered a phase of persistent low water availability. Estimates suggest that the irrigation deficit could reach up to 1 billion cubic meters. The situation in the Syr Darya basin remains critical. Inflows are expected to fall 3.2 billion cubic meters below normal, and by the start of the growing season, total water volume may reach only 1-2 billion cubic meters, far below demand. The Shardara Reservoir, a key regional storage facility, is currently at roughly half of its design capacity. Uzbekistan faces an even more vulnerable position due to its high population density and large agricultural sector. The flow of the Amu Darya is projected to fall to 65% of its historical norm, putting food stability at risk. Tashkent is accelerating investments in canal reconstruction, as water losses during transport reach up to 40%. Against this backdrop, tensions between upstream and downstream countries could become more pronounced. Kyrgyzstan, acting as the region’s “water tower,” faces a difficult trade-off between energy security and its obligations to downstream neighbors. Low accumulation levels in the Toktogul Reservoir have constrained hydropower generation, leading to winter energy shortages and reduced summer water releases, precisely when Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan require them for irrigation. This cyclical dependency turns each growing season into a complex round of “water-for-electricity” negotiations, with diminishing room for maneuver. Tajikistan faces a similar situation in the Amu Darya basin. The Nurek Hydropower Plant is operating under strict conservation principles as reservoir levels remain several meters below previous norms. For Dushanbe, the priority remains fulfilling the Rogun project, which, under low-water conditions, raises justified concerns among downstream states. These tensions are compounded by the accelerated melting of Pamir glaciers, which currently increases water flows but poses a long-term risk of severe depletion. Turkmenistan is also expected to experience acute water stress in 2026. In the Ahal and Mary regions, pasture degradation and limited irrigation are reducing livestock numbers and grain yields. The government is investing in dredging the Karakum Canal and constructing small desalination plants, but these measures only partially offset declining Amu Darya flows. An additional destabilizing factor is Afghanistan’s Qosh-Tepa Canal project. By summer 2026, its impact on the Amu Darya basin is expected to become physically noticeable. Estimates state that unregulated water withdrawals could reduce downstream flows by 15-25%. Afghanistan’s absence from regional water-sharing agreements creates a legal vacuum that existing mechanisms cannot address. As a result, Central Asia is...

Climate Change

Central Asia’s Climate Risks Could Cost Up to 130% of GDP by 2080

By 2080, climate change is expected to have a profound impact on the economies of Central Asian countries, with potential losses ranging from 20% to 130% of GDP. The most severe effects are projected for mountainous nations. These estimates were presented at a CAREC technology forum by Iskandar Abdullaev, a senior research fellow at the International Water Management Institute in Uzbekistan. According to Abdullaev, climate change is no longer solely an environmental issue but an increasingly significant economic factor. Key risks include droughts and water scarcity, floods, heatwaves, and glacier melt. The projected economic impact varies across the region. Tajikistan could face losses of between 80% and 130% of GDP, Kyrgyzstan 70% to 120%, Kazakhstan 40% to 80%, Uzbekistan 30% to 45%, and Turkmenistan 20% to 60%. Abdullaev emphasized that mountainous countries – Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan – are particularly vulnerable, as climate change directly affects water resources. Glacier melt reduces river flows, creating challenges for both energy production and water supply. Droughts and extreme heat are already placing pressure on agriculture, with declining crop yields and reduced pasture productivity. Without adaptation measures, the region’s long-term sustainability could be at risk. Experts stress that mitigation and adaptation efforts are essential to reduce these risks. These include modernizing irrigation systems, adopting climate-resilient agricultural technologies, and expanding renewable energy capacity. This is not the only warning. According to the World Bank, natural disasters are already causing significant economic damage in Central Asia. Losses from extreme events, including floods and earthquakes, can reach up to 6% of GDP, with earthquakes alone accounting for up to $2 billion in damages. At the same time, countries in the region face substantial financing gaps following major disasters. In Tajikistan, this gap could reach up to $1.5 billion. Experts warn that climate change is likely to intensify these risks, further increasing the economic burden on the region.