ASTANA (TCA) — Countries of Central Asia and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) have released a Communiqué on accelerating renewable energy deployment in the region. The Communiqué was released in the framework of the Energy Ministerial, Meeting the Challenge of Sustainable Energy at the Astana EXPO-2017 in Kazakhstan, IRENA said on June 11. The meeting identified six key areas to facilitate the uptake of renewables and help diversify the region’s energy mix, reflected in detail in a regional Action Plan.

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ASTANA (TCA) — Within a decade, solar energy could become a significant alternative source of energy for remote communities in Kazakhstan, UNDP said on June 10 at the EXPO 2017 in Astana, pointing out that solar energy could cover 15 percent of the country’s energy needs by 2030.

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TASHKENT (TCA) — As part of his visit to Central Asia, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on June 10 visited the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan – once the world’s fourth largest inland sea, that has now shrunk to about a quarter of its original size due to human mismanagement. The UN chief urged the world to take lesson from the catastrophe and to ensure that such tragedies are not repeated, the UN News Centre reported.

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BISHKEK (TCA) — The Publisher’s note: Central Asia is an important geopolitical area between Europe, Russia and China. It is in Central Asia that world powers have confronted each other for centuries; it is here that China needs to succeed with its new Silk Road Belt for direct access to the Western markets; and it is here that a large wealth of raw materials has its origin. Every week thousands of news appears all over the world in printed and online media and it is quite understandable that many of them may escape the attention of busy readers. At The Times of Central Asia, we strongly believe that more information can better contribute to peaceful development and better knowledge of the region, and for this reason we are presenting this Weekly Digest of Central Asia which compiles what other media have reported during the past week.

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BISHKEK (TCA) — The Issyk-Kul event on June 11-16, organized by the UNDP GEF SGP in Kyrgyzstan, the ICCA Consortium and CENESTA (Iran), will be held in Kyrgyzstan to share knowledge and enhance capacities among key regional actors about how to promote and strengthen appropriate recognition of Indigenous peoples’ and community conserved territories and areas (ICCAs) and appropriate support to them to enhance their effectiveness in the region, the ICCA Consortium said.

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