- First Regional Ecological Summit unites regions leaders around the environment
- Countries boost cooperation on circular economy, glaciers, biodiversity and air pollution
- Major opportunity eyed to reduce methane emissions
Astana, Kazakhstan, 24 April 2026 Central Asian countries have united at the inaugural Regional Ecological Summit, where they launched new regional partnerships to jointly address circular economy and glaciers, as well as establish common approaches to supporting biodiversity, climate action and air pollution.
The beautiful and diverse region of Central Asia is facing significant challenges from temperatures rising faster than the global average to biodiversity loss, degrading mountain ecosystems, and air pollution, including sand and dust storms. These are shared challenges that demand shared solutions, said UNEP Executive Director, Inger Andersen. This Summit is demonstrating how multilateralism, driven by strong regional cooperation, can build resilience and deliver progress for millions of people.
The Heads of State of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan endorsed a new regional partnership on circular economy.
The platform will be supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and gather commitments from all five states based on a common understanding of circularity for the region. According to the World Bank, investing USD 289 million towards circularity in the Kazakh construction sector, for example, could reap economic benefits worth USD 1.3 billion and slash national greenhouse gas emissions by 5%.
Speaking at the Summit, Andersen also highlighted the risks facing the Caspian Sea, where water levels have dropped by around two metres since the 1990s, with projections of a further decline of 8 to 21 metres.
At a High-Level Ministerial Dialogue on the Tehran Convention, the Executive Director said: This is both and environmental crisis and a human crisis. Damage to the Caspian Sea threaten ports, fisheries, infrastructure and coastal communities with major economic costs, threats to food security and the potential displacement of millions of people.
Reflecting on the importance of the Tehran Convention, which has been in force since 2006 and is supported by UNEP as its secretariat, Andersen underscored how the Convention can help Caspian nations through transboundary collaboration and integrated solutions that safeguard ecosystems, support livelihoods and promote equitable economic growth. The full speech is available online.
A regional platform on glaciers was also unveiled at the Summit, reflecting growing urgency around water security. Glaciers provide between 30 and 60 per cent of Central Asias freshwater, yet accelerated melting is increasing risks of droughts, floods and long-term scarcity, with implications for agriculture, energy and livelihoods in the region.
In parallel, countries endorsed a regional declaration on biodiversity, recognizing healthy ecosystems as a foundation for resilience and sustainable development and committed to strengthening data sharing, joint monitoring, and integrated action across key sectors. The countries extended these same commitments to address air pollution, with a focus on sectors such as energy, transport, industry, and sand and dust storm management. A regional climate and ecology investment portfolio was also set up to expand access to international finance for environmental action.
The scale of shared environmental challenges in the region underlines the need for a transboundary response.
Central Asia is among the regions most affected by air pollution, which causes 65,000 to 71,000 lives to end prematurely in the region each year, with several countries in the region ranked among the top 30 most polluted worldwide. Central Asia is also one of the worlds leading hotspots for major methane leaks, presenting a significant opportunity to reduce emissions through UNEPs International Methane Emissions Observatory and its Methane Alert and Response System.
Meanwhile, the region is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, threatening both humans and wildlife. Migratory species such as snow leopards adapt by altering their movements and habitat use, which can render existing Protected Areas ineffective.
As part of the Central Asian Mammals and Climate Adaptation project, UNEP supported the Kyrgyz Republic in creating a new ecological corridor of around 800,000 hectares that takes future climate impacts into account and could be linked to protected areas in other states in the future.
