Environmental Governance in Central Asia

Central Asia is increasingly becoming a focal point of international operations aimed at reducing the risk of conflict by enhancing transboundary environmental cooperation. Such activities require a thorough understanding of the legal, institutional and policy frameworks relevant to environment-security links in each country. In this context, adelphi was asked by the UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS to assess the existing institutional and legal frameworks in Central Asia.

The final report was prepared on behalf of UNDP and presented at a joint event organised by the UNDP, UNEP and OSCE at the Fifth Ministerial Conference “Environment for Europe” in Kiev, May 2003. It included information on the situation in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and recommend important measures for capacity building and transboundary cooperation in the area of environment and security linkages. The results then functioned as a basis for post-Kiev UNDP activities in the field.