Regional consultation on climate change and security in Central Asia

Climate change can impact security in a number of ways in Central Asia. Because the risks are shared across the region, they also provide entry points for co-operation. This report presents the results of a regional consultation process on climate change and security in Central Asia which started in 2022. During the consultation process, four hotspots emerged as priorities where co-operative activities and projects between the countries of Central Asia would be especially required to address climate-related security risks. For each hotspot, the consultation process revealed a number of climate-related security challenges, along with recent initiatives and projects at the national and regional levels that address various aspects related to climate change. It also identified potential measures and activities where regional co-operation can be further strengthened to address shared climate-related security risks.

This report was prepared within the framework of the OSCE extra-budgetary project Strengthening responses to security risks from climate change in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia, which is implemented by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) in partnership with adelphi and funded by Andorra, Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and the United States. The project is part of the OSCE’s active effort to support its participating States in implementing the 2021 OSCE Ministerial Council Decision on climate change.