The OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) is working on the development of a strategy for cooperation in addressing climate risks in high-mountain regions of Central Asia. This was announced by the OSCE Secretary-General Helga Schmid during a meeting with the Ministers of Environment of Central Asian countries in Ashgabat, TASS reports.
"Based on regional consultative processes, the OSCE is currently developing a strategy for cooperation in addressing climate risks in high-mountain regions of Central Asia. The strategy will include measures to enhance regional cooperation and coordination in four thematic areas: livelihoods, security, agricultural and pastoral lands, and sustainable water resource utilization," she said.
According to Schmid, the strategy will also address the impact of glacier melting on natural resource management in high-altitude and low-lying regions, emergency management, and risks associated with melting. "The implementation plan will include a series of specific transboundary initiatives that will be carried out on the ground," she added.
Schmid also reminded that the OSCE recently initiated a project aimed at securing energy infrastructure from extreme weather conditions. It includes three directions: collaboration with national energy and climate experts to provide a climate change risk assessment for energy systems and a region-wide energy transition plan, the development of a climate model for the region, and collaboration with local experts for interpreting and integrating climate data from such a model. Recommendations for this project, according to Schmid, will be presented this year in Vienna at a regional seminar, bringing together decision-makers and experts from 15 beneficiary countries: Central Asia, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, and Mediterranean region countries.
Two countries in Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, are situated in mountainous regions, with over 90% of their territory located at elevations exceeding 1000 meters above sea level. These countries are also where the headwaters of major rivers in Central Asia form.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
March 5, 2024