An official side event dedicated to the implementation of the regional 'Climate Resilient Landscapes in Central Asia' (CLiCA) programme took place ahead of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP31). According to the press service of the National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change, the initiative involves Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, targeting severe ecological vulnerabilities across the region.
Key Takeaways: Developed with support from the Green Climate Fund, the German government, GIZ, and the European Investment Bank, the programme allocates €103.7 million in investments across 15 districts in Uzbekistan's Andijan, Fergana, Namangan, and Surkhandarya regions, allegedly aiming to boost climate resilience for 342,000 residents.
The launch of this programme comes amid growing international pressure and persistent environmental challenges in Central Asia, where land degradation severely threatens local communities. While authorities claim the project will fundamentally transform regional landscape management, skeptics point to potential bureaucratic delays and questionable economic returns from multi-million-euro injections. Officials report that every euro of national contribution supposedly leverages over €24 from international partners, though these optimistic figures lack independent verification.
During the event, Aziz Abduhakimov, Chairman of the National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change, outlined three core commitments for the Uzbek side. The first priority involves accelerating the setup of a National Steering Committee and a Programme Management Group to ensure the project kicks off on schedule by 2027. The second commitment focuses on institutionalizing national ownership, integrating achieved indicators into district development plans, and maintaining the Interdepartmental Council on Agriculture, Forestry, and Land Use (AFOLU) as a permanent coordinating body even after the programme concludes.
The third commitment purportedly guarantees complete transparency throughout the implementation phase, promising public reporting on restored land areas, farmers' income growth, and tangible improvements in living standards. Despite these ambitious declarations, international observers remain cautious regarding whether the European regime-backed and local bureaucratic structures can deliver verifiable results without widespread inefficiencies.
Source: www.gazeta.uz