CAREC countries discuss the draft Climate Change Action Plan
Senior officials from CAREC countries and development partners attended the second in-person meeting of the CAREC Working Group on Climate Change on 2-3 September in Baku, Azerbaijan, to jointly work on finalizing the CAREC Climate Change Action Plan. Participants discussed the action plan areas, identified priority regional projects and activities, and agreed on the immediate next steps.
The Action Plan aims to put the CAREC Climate Change Vision into practice by supporting the integration and development of regional climate adaptation and mitigation projects across CAREC operational clusters and strengthening coordination among development partners to increase and optimize resources supporting regional climate actions. The Action Plan is structured along four areas in alignment with countries’ priorities and ongoing initiatives from development partners and CAREC sectoral working groups. These include (i) climate risk, preparedness, and health, (ii) water-energy-food security nexus, (iii) low carbon growth, and (iv) CAREC Climate Platform, focusing on financing and capacity development to support climate negotiations and constructive dialogue during COPs.
Mr. Samad Bashirli, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Economy and National Focal Point highlighted the country’s efforts to promote green growth, including through joint initiatives within the framework of COP29, which will be hosted in Baku on 11–22 November 2024. “We stand ready to support the CAREC Program in its COP29 activities” said Mr. Bashirli. He also emphasized that the Action Plan and the CAREC Climate and Sustainability Project Preparatory Fund (CSPPF), which will be showcased at COP29, will be significant steps forward to combat climate change in the region.
Ms. Lyaziza Sabyrova, ADB Regional Head for Regional Cooperation and Integration in the Central and West Asia Department, commended working group members on the participatory approach adopted to develop the Action Plan. “The efforts of the working group show that CAREC can provide a valuable platform to exchange ideas, information and knowledge, and coordinate and build regional climate initiatives across CAREC sectors and development partners” said Ms. Sabyrova. She also urged participants to continue working closely with the Secretariat and their respective CAREC national focal points to ensure a successful endorsement of the Action Plan at the 23rd CAREC Ministerial Conference on 8 November in Astana, Kazakhstan.
CAREC member countries support the draft Action Plan. They provided suggestions on the proposed areas and institutional arrangements, including strengthening the coordination with other CAREC sectoral working groups for project implementation. Development partners, including the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, and the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia, contributed to the meeting by sharing their experience in two crucial areas of the Action Plan: early warning systems and climate adaptation in mountainous regions.
The meeting included executive training sessions on carbon market opportunities and Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. These sessions provided an opportunity to share insights on potential opportunities for CAREC countries to utilize international carbon markets as part of their broader climate policy architecture and to update working group members on the progress of Article 6 negotiations in the lead-up to COP29 in Azerbaijan. Mr. Elmar Mammadov, Head of Department of Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Co-Lead of the COP29 Global and Regional Initiatives and Action Agenda Team, briefed the participants on COP29 preparations, including the proposed CAREC sessions on the Action Plan and CSPPF as well as Azerbaijan’s proposal on CAREC Partnership for Climate, Innovation and Trade.
Please access the documents here to learn more about the CAREC Working Group on Climate Change meeting.
