News & Events

Astana, April 22–24, 2026. The Regional Environmental Summit (RES 2026) will take place in Kazakhstan’s capital as a major international platform aimed at consolidating efforts among Central Asian countries and partner states in addressing pressing environmental challenges. The summit seeks to promote coordinated approaches to climate change mitigation and adaptation, water resource degradation, and sustainable natural resource management. The initiative to convene RES 2026 in partnership with the United Nations was announced by the Head of State during the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in 2023. Approximately 1,500 delegates are expected to attend, including representatives of governments, international

On February 6, 2026, the Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic, M. Mashiev, met with Dr. Simonetta Siligato, Director of the Multi-Country Office of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Vienna, overseeing operations in Europe and Central Asia. The meeting focused on strengthening cooperation in environmental sustainability and natural resource management. Dr. Siligato briefed the Minister on UNOPS activities in the region, including the implementation of EU–Kyrgyz Republic and Kyrgyz Republic–Tajikistan subregional projects, highlighting the organization’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and effective project management. The parties expressed readiness to cooperate in

Ashgabat, February 11–12, 2026 a national seminar titled “Reporting Requirements under the Paris Agreement, Technical Support, Key Gaps, and Actions for Institutional and Technical Capacity” was held at the Archabil Hotel conference hall. The event was organized by the Scientific-Information Center of the Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development (SIC ICSD) in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and with support from the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan. The seminar took place within the framework of the CBIT project — “Strengthening Turkmenistan’s Capacity to Comply with the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF)”, funded by the

Ashgabat, February 9, 2026 — A hybrid roundtable titled “Scaling Climate-Resilient Practices through Digitalization of Land and Water Monitoring” was held at the UN building. The event was organized within the framework of cooperation between the UNDP project on sustainable land management in the Aral Sea basin and the Scientific-Information Center of the Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development (SIC ICSD). Dedicated to World Wetlands Day (February 2), the discussion focused on ensuring the ecological integrity of wetlands and achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) in the Amu Darya basin within Turkmenistan. Participants emphasized the importance of establishing an integrated digital monitoring

On February 9, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a presentation outlining proposals for the development of new agricultural lands and modernization of agricultural science. Over the past five years, 826,500 hectares of land have been brought into agricultural circulation through irrigation and land reclamation projects. Of these, 409,000 hectares are irrigated lands, while 418,000 hectares were developed through the use of groundwater resources and water-saving technologies on rain-fed and pasture territories. By 2030, an additional 938,000 hectares of pastureland are planned to be rehabilitated and improved. In 2026–2027 alone, 620,000 hectares are scheduled for restoration, including

Tokyo, Japan, February 2026 — The Kazakhstan delegation participated in the international conference Hybrid Approaches to Standards for BTR Development: Trust and Transparency in National GHG Inventories, focused on advancing hybrid approaches for Biennial Transparency Reports (BTR) under the Paris Agreement. During the event, Kazakhstan presented its approaches to integrating satellite data into the national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory, aimed at enhancing accuracy, transparency, and comparability of climate reporting. The national position emphasized the use of satellite data and “top-down” approaches as a supplementary tool to traditional inventory methods applied under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Dushanbe, Republic of Tajikistan, 2–5 February 2026 — representatives of the Scientific Information Center of the Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development (SIC ICSD) participated in a regional hands-on training aimed at strengthening capacity in greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory development and climate policy assessment in the land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector. The training was held with the support of the Regional Climate Action Transparency Hub for Central Asia (ReCATH), implemented under the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT), and hosted by the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC), with technical assistance from the GHG Management Institute. The

Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation and Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Change and Water Resources, Ruslan Edelgeriyev, chaired the second meeting of the expert group on the Russian Federation’s participation in the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in countries experiencing severe drought and/or desertification, particularly in Africa, as well as the fourth meeting of the expert group on biodiversity and Russia’s participation in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The meetings were held within the framework of the interagency working group under the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation on climate change and

The Government of Kenya and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) announced that the next global observance of Desertification and Drought Day will be held on 17 June 2026 in Kenya under the theme: “Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore.” The 2026 observance in Kenya will highlight the central role of the world’s rangelands in climate resilience, food and water security, biodiversity conservation, and the cultural identity of pastoralist and Indigenous communities. Rangelands cover more than half of the Earth’s land surface and support the lives of two billion people, including 500 million pastoralists who have stewarded these landscapes for

On 5 February 2026, the Gobi Biodiversity Research Institute was officially inaugurated in Mongolia to study and protect the ecosystems of the country’s southern region. The Institute will serve as a national center for Gobi ecosystem research and provide science-based data to inform policymaking. Its activities will include biodiversity monitoring, wildlife population studies, ecosystem resilience and land-use assessments, and analysis of mining impacts. The Institute will also develop policy recommendations based on its data. Experts note that the Gobi region plays a critical role in ecological stability not only for Mongolia but for Central Asia and is an important area