The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) jointly with the State Agency for Hydrometeorology, Committee for Environmental Protection (CoEP) under the Government of Tajikistan held a panel discussion “Approach to Building Adaptive and Resilient Communities in Urban and Rural Areas in the High Mountains of Tajikistan” at UNFCCC COP 27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) Resident Office in Tajikistan notes that the discussion focused on the applied approaches to environmental resilience from climate change in the mountainous regions of Tajikistan.

The panel members included the Head of the State Agency for Hydrometeorology, Mr. Abdullo Qurbonzoda, AKAH General Manager, Mr. Onno Ruhl, the Deputy Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Mr Jamshed Shoimzoda, and the Chief Executive Officer of AKAH Central Asia, Mr. Nawab Ali Khan.

The panel reportedly highlighted the initiatives taken by the government of Tajikistan to keep its emissions low.  Tajikistan’s emissions are the lowest in Central Asia.  Tajikistan covers over 95% of its energy requirement through hydropower and plans to export clean energy to neighboring countries to help them reduce their emissions.  The panel members noted that hydrometeorological disasters are at rise and Tajikistan is heavily impacted by climate induced disasters.  Tajikistan’s mountains are the main source of water for Central Asia as over 60% of the glaciers of Central Asia are in Tajikistan.  The rise in temperature is causing rapid melting of glaciers and every year settlements are impacted by events of flash floods, avalanches, mudflows, and riverbank erosion causing damages to agriculture, infrastructure, and housing having major impact on the economy of the country. 

The panel session was followed by bilateral meeting with the Chairman of the Committee for Environmental Protection, Mr. Bahodour Sheralizoda and the AKAH Central Asia CEO Mr. Nawab Ali Khan.  The parties reportedly acknowledged the need for enhanced collaboration and discussed the framework of further collaborations and joint actions around environmental conservation and climate change issues. The chairman was informed of the initiative around Urban Resilience Program under collaboration with SECO and which aims to support secondary towns and cities with the climate change issue and is currently being implemented as pilot project.

Under the auspices of the Government of Tajikistan, the Government of Switzerland, and the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat have been engaged in a long-term partnership to address the increasing risks emanating from climate change across the country.

AKAH, which merges the capabilities of Focus Humanitarian Assistance, the Aga Khan Planning and Building Services, the Aga Khan Development Network’s Disaster Risk Management Initiative, and the Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan Fund for the Environment, works to ensure that poor people live in physical settings that are as safe as possible from the effects of natural disasters; that, residents who do live in high-risk areas are able to cope with disasters in terms of preparedness and response; and that these settings provide access to social and financial services that lead to greater opportunity and a better quality of life.  AKAH helps communities prepare for the worst; provides immediate relief after disaster strikes; helps build back better and greener while planning for a better future. AKAH currently operates in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Syria, Pakistan and India, with plans to expand further in Central Asia as well as East Africa.