On Wednesday July 14, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched a new project worth US$2.7 million jointly with the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of Tajikistan to boost the country’s resilience to climate change, according to UNDP's Country Office in Tajikistan,.

“Tajikistan is one of the most climate-vulnerable country in the Europe and CIS region and least able to adapt due to its high dependence on natural resources, including in key development areas for the country such as energy and agriculture. Annual losses of gross agricultural output caused by disasters attributable to climate events are estimated at one third of all losses. Effective water management is the centerpiece to dealing with all these issues. This project, therefore, is of paramount importance, as it will help Tajikistan to develop Effective National Adaptation Planning (NAP) in all these areas and will also serve as one of the most important tools for bringing climate change concerns to the attention of policymakers at the national level,” UNDP Resident Representative in Tajikistan Dr. Pratibha Mehta says.

The Government of Tajikistan will benefit from this three-year Green Climate Fund supported initiative to strengthen climate change adaptation planning at the national and sectoral levels and improve the country’s ability to mobilize private and public sector finance from domestic and international sources.

2021 is referred to as the “make-or-break year” for climate action as the window of opportunity to prevent the worst impacts of climate change, such as more frequent and intense floods, mudflows, avalanches, storms and droughts, closes rapidly.  For Tajikistan the ability to adapt quickly means lower risk of negative impact on livelihoods, public health, and overall economy.

This initiative builds on the successful partnership between the Committee for Environmental Protection and UNDP within the framework of UNDP project on “Facilitating Climate Resilience in Tajikistan,” funded by the Government of the Russian Federation  to  improve Tajikistan’s capacity to access climate finance mechanisms.