REGIONAL ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE A VISION FOR THE CENTRAL ASIA REGIONAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION PROGRAM APRIL 2024 REGIONAL ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE A VISION FOR THE CENTRAL ASIA REGIONAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION PROGRAM APRIL 2024 Endorsed at the 22nd CAREC Ministerial Conference 30 November 2023 Tbilisi, Georgia ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK  Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO license (CC BY 3.0 IGO) © 2024 Asian Development Bank 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City, 1550 Metro Manila, Philippines Tel +63 2 8632 4444; Fax +63 2 8636 2444 www.adb.org Some rights reserved. Published in 2024. ISBN 978-92-9270-652-4 (print); 978-92-9270-653-1 (PDF); 978-92-9270-654-8 (ebook) Publication Stock No. SPR240218-2 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22617/SPR240218-2 The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) or its Board of Governors or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by ADB in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. By making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, ADB does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. This publication is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO license (CC BY 3.0 IGO) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/. By using the content of this publication, you agree to be bound by the terms of this license. For attribution, translations, adaptations, and permissions, please read the provisions and terms of use at https://www.adb.org/terms-use#openaccess. This CC license does not apply to non-ADB copyright materials in this publication. If the material is attributed to another source, please contact the copyright owner or publisher of that source for permission to reproduce it. ADB cannot be held liable for any claims that arise as a result of your use of the material. Please contact pubsmarketing@adb.org if you have questions or comments with respect to content, or if you wish to obtain copyright permission for your intended use that does not fall within these terms, or for permission to use the ADB logo. Corrigenda to ADB publications may be found at http://www.adb.org/publications/corrigenda. Note: In this publication, “$” refers to United States dollars. On the cover: Nurek hydropower plant in Tajikistan (photo by Nozim Kalandarov); the Bridge of Peace in Tbilisi, Georgia, a bow-shaped pedestrian bridge made from steel and glass that spans the Kura River, linking Rike Park with the old town (photo by Khatia Jijeishvili/ADB); wind turbines along the highway in Georgia (photo by Eric Sales/ADB); daily operations at the 15-megawatt (MW) Sermsang Khushig Khundii Solar plant in Khushig valley, Tuv Aimag in Mongolia (photo by Ariel Javellana/ADB); and herders in Mongolia cultivate fodder or animal feed that is more resilient to extreme weather changes, and using plants that adapt to droughts (photo by Eric Sales/ADB). Cover design by Judy Yñiguez. Contents Executive Summary v Abbreviations vii 1 Introduction 1 2 Vision, Goals, and Principles for the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Climate Action 3 3 Implications of Climate Change for Regional Cooperation 5 4 Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation: A Regional Platform for Climate Action 7 5 Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation’s Focus on Climate Change in Strategies and Programs 9 6 Financing Climate Action 15 7 Guiding and Monitoring Results for ­Implementing the Climate Change Vision 17 8 Summary of Recommendations for Ministers 19 Appendixes 21 1 Development Partners’ Climate-Related Support to the Central Asia Regional 21 Economic Cooperation Program 2 Draft Terms of Reference for the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation 24 Program Climate Change Steering Committee Glossary 25 References 27 iii Pakistan. The ADB-supported project in Islamia University Bahawalpur Solar Park enhances Pakistan’s energy security by helping install clean energy sources and improves people’s access to electricity in Punjab, Pakistan (photo by Rahim Mirza/ADB). Executive Summary T he effe