Over 60 representatives from various government and civil society organizations in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as regional and international organizations, gathered for a workshop in Tashkent on June 20-21, 2023. Organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) and Adelphi, a Berlin-based think tank, the event built upon the findings of the Regional Consultation on Climate Change and Security in Central Asia and offered a platform for discussing climate-related challenges in high mountain areas and lowlands while also exploring opportunities for collaboration to address these challenges.
The Central Asian region is predicted to experience a temperature increase of 2.5-6.5 degrees Celsius by the century's end. This puts the area at greater risk for climate change-related effects such as droughts, desalination, high temperatures, heat waves, heavy rainfall, mudflows, floods, and avalanches.
Igli Hasani, who serves as the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, noted that the impact of climate change could not be separated from insecurity and instability. When countries work together to address climate change and protect natural resources, it promotes positive relationships between neighbors, prosperity, stability, and security. The 2021 OSCE Ministerial Council Decision on climate change and the organization's efforts in this area, mainly Central Asia, embody this goal.
The participants engaged in discussions about the challenges faced by mountain regions, such as livelihood insecurity, the impact of glacial melting on natural resource management, hazards arising from glacial melting, and migration.
According to Beatrice Mosello, a Senior Advisor at Adelphi, Central Asia's high mountain areas face significant climate-related challenges. The accelerated melting of glaciers due to climate change endangers the region's crucial water resources and creates various hazardous risks. Moreover, many communities' livelihoods in these mountain regions are also at risk. Consequently, promoting regional cooperation and taking immediate action to tackle these threats is essential.
A workshop titled "Towards Enhanced Co-operation for Addressing Climate-Related Security Risks in Central Asia" was held as part of the OSCE project to strengthen responses to security risks resulting from climate change in various regions. The project is a partnership between Adelphi and the OSCE Field Operations. The fund receives sponsorship from several countries, counting Andorra, Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.
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