Section 6
United Nations and its Specialized Agencies
6.2. Security Council
The Security Council (SC) has primarily responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security; all UN members are obliged to follow its decisions. It has 15 members, including 5 permanent members with veto power (Great Britain, China, Russia, USA, France) and 10 non-permanent, elected by the UNGA for two-year terms of five countries each year.
UNSC activity in 2022
“Arria-formula” meetings were organized: (1) at the ministerial-level on climate finance as a means to build and sustain peace in conflict, post-conflict and crisis situations (March 9, UAE); (2) on “Climate, Peace and Security: Opportunities for the UN Peace and Security Architecture”, which entailed exploring ways to strengthen national and local efforts to build resilience and reduce vulnerabilities to climate shocks and touched on cooperation in natural resource management, early warning systems, enhanced climate finance and inclusive decision-making (November 29, New York).
The Informal Expert Group (IEG) convened a briefing on evidence and research from different regions on the linkages between climate change and security (February 4); IEG meetings were also held to discuss climate-related security challenges in Iraq (May 5) and Mali (June 2), respectively.
Source: Security Council
6.3. Secretariat
The Secretariat is one of the main organs of UN. At the head of the United Nations Secretariat is the Secretary-General, appointed by GA upon recommendation of UNSC for a 5-year term. Since January 2022, Antonio Guterres (Portugal) has been serving as the Secretary-General.
“In these turbulent times, the work of the United Nations is more necessary than ever to reduce suffering,
prevent crises, manage risks and build a sustainable future for all.”
Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General
Each year, the Secretary-General reports on the work of the Organization, including priority areas of the UN’s activity and future plans. 2022 Report highlights the work in the following key area: (1) sustainable development (United Nations country teams led by resident coordinators work in 162 countries and territories to help to implement the 2030 Agenda); (2) development in Africa (helping 54 countries to leapfrog development challenges and catalyze a sustainable and equitable recovery from COVID-19); (3) human rights (facilitated assistance for 46,000 victims of torture and 13,000+ victims of contemporary forms of slavery); (4) humanitarian assistance (helped to mobilize a record $20.3B to assist 174M people across 60 countries and territories; (5) justice and international law (639 multilateral treaties addressing matters of worldwide interest are deposited with the Secretary-General; (6) disarmament (channeled funds to 104 arms-control-related projects benefiting 145 Member States. (7) drugs, crime and terrorism (drugs monitoring platform provided a multi-source system shares with more than 14,000 pieces of data on individual drug seizures from more than 125 countries).
Source: UN
6.4. The UN Development Program (UNDP)
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is the UN's global development network that promotes positive change and gives countries access to the knowledge, experience and resources that help improve people's lives. It operates in 177 countries and territories.
UNDP activities in the Central Asian countries in 2022
UNDP in Kazakhstan
UNDP in Kazakhstan focuses its activities on SDGs implementation, water and land management, environmental protection, climate change, energy and other relevant development issues. In 2022, UNDP's project portfolio in Kazakhstan included 37 projects with a total cost of $20.51 million.
Nature, land resources and ecosystem management. Continued: (1) “Sustainable forest management” aimed to conserve and sustainably manage key globally important ecosystems for multiple benefits (2018-2024); (2) “Ecological education in Kazakhstan” (2020-2025), the output of which is to train more than 6 thousand. teachers and develop teaching aids in the field of environmental protection, nature management, ecological and economic security. (3) ”Integrated dryland and drought management in South Kazakhstan regions” (2017-2022), aimed to improve and maintain livelihood strategies and resilience of vulnerable farmers and pastoral communities in the selected pilot sites to cope with drought; (4) “Reintroducing of Turan tiger” (2021-2025).
Energy and climate change. Continued: (1) “Low-carbon urban development” (2014-2023); (2) “Energy efficient standards and labelling” (2017-2024); (3) “De-risking renewable energy investment” (2017-2023); (4) development of Kazakhstan’s National communication and biennial reports (2019-2023); (5) “Forest carbon offset mechanisms, Bitfury initiative” (2019-2024) to assist Kazakhstan in fulfilling international obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the carbon footprint of electricity suppliers; (6) “National determined contributions program in Kazakhstan” (2020-2022); (7) “Improving chemicals management under environmental conventions” (2019-2022); (8) “Attracting investors in the field of energy efficiency” (2021-2026) to improve energy efficiency of buildings, infrastructure, and other facilities. The project “Leveraging nationally determined contributions” has been launched (2022-2023) to achieve net-zero emissions and climate-resilient development in response to the climate emergency.
UNDP designed a pocket manual for a wide audience to explain the causes of climate change and its impact on the livelihoods of the people in Kazakhstan.
A new project was launched as part of the “Climate Promise: from Pledge to Impact” initiative jointly with Japan to introduce climate-smart agri-technologies ($975 thousand). It is planned to support farmers in the regions of Kazakhstan, as well as pilot renewable energy solutions (wind and solar) with digital monitoring in agricultural production.
SDGs. (1) “Support of the Government with SDG financing strategy” (2020-2022) for adopting an integrated national financing framework; (2) “Regional SDG platform in Central Asia” (2021-2023) to establish a regional SDG platform that serves as a mechanism to accelerate countries' efforts in wider regional strategies for the attainment of the 2030 Agenda.
Kazakhstan presented its Second Voluntary National Review on the implementation of SDGs at the UN High-Level Political Forum ((July 14, New York, USA).
Capacity building. The following regional projects are ongoing: “Supporting the economic empowerment of Afghan women” (2019-2025) – the UNDP and EU discussed progress on the project (December 15, online); and, “Empowerment of Afghan women, Phase 2” (2021-2026).
Source: www.kz.undp.org and open.undp.org/projects
UNDP in Kyrgyzstan
In 2022, UNDP's project portfolio in Kyrgyzstan included 28 projects with a total value of $26.65 million.
Water management. UNDP organized a training session on integrating climate risks into water policies and basin management plans in Kyrgyzstan as part of the regional project “Climate Change and Resilience in Central Asia”. The training session was held for the key national and local authorities working in the field of water and climate risk management (July 12-13, Issyk-Kul province; October 17-18, Osh).
Environmental protection and climate change. Ongoing projects: (1) Conservation of globally important biodiversity and associated land and forest resources of Western Tian Shan mountain forest ecosystems to support sustainable livelihoods (2017-2023); (2) “Strengthening climate resilience of the Batken province through introduction of climate smart irrigation and mudflow protection measures” (2019-2023) – a five-day training was held on how to work with software for predicting future hydro-climatic changes. (3) “Disaster risk reduction and climate change (2016-2023) aimed at strengthening integrated risk governance capacities and regional cooperation in CA; (4) “Capacity building towards securing the resilience of communities and institutions to climate and disaster risks and sustainable and inclusive natural resource management (2018-2022); (5) “UN support for strengthening disaster preparedness ” (2012-2023) to support the coordination activities of the Disaster Response Coordination Unit Secretariat; – two national policy documents on gender mainstreamed and low-carbon development were drafted; (6) “HCFC phase-out management plan (HPMP) - Stage 2 (2015-2023); (7) “PPG: Pamir-Alai project” (2021-2022) aimed at integrated community-based management of high value mountain ecosystems in southern Kyrgyzstan for multiple benefits.
Bishkek hosted the following events: (1) two meetings of interdepartmental working group “Climate Promise-2” (NDC) and National Adaption Planning (NAP) (April 12 and July 18); (2) the 1st Regional Conference of Youth on Climate Change; the conference program was based on keynote speeches, intergenerational “Green Talks” with senior experts in various sectors, educational science-based Climate Fresk games, group work, and many more (December 1-3).
SDGs. Continued: (1) “National SDGs acceleration support program” (2018-2023) – a platform for advancing SDGs integrated approaches; (2) “UN joint SDG fund, reinforce SDG financing architecture” (2020-2023), aimed at creating a holistic, comprehensive and integrated financing strategy or Integrated National Financing Framework.
Source: www.undp.org/ru/kyrgyzstan and open.undp.org/projects
UNDP in Tajikistan
In 2022, UNDP's project portfolio in Tajikistan included 48 projects with a total value of $30.66 million.
Land and water resources. Continued: (1) “Building climate resilience in agricultural and water sectors of rural Tajikistan” (2019-2022) – 3 subprojects on drip irrigation and 1 subproject on disaster risk reduction were completed; two concept notes for international/domestic funding were developed; (2) “Support to water initiatives of Tajikistan” (2021-2022) – the 2nd International conference within the framework of the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018-2028 (June 6-9, Dushanbe); (3) “Strengthening communities in Khatlon region and Rasht valley of Tajikistan” (2020-2022 ) – 4 mobile applications to facilitate access to information/services were developed; the forum on rural development issues was held to make rural areas more attractive and 3 campaigns on raising awareness on improved service delivery were organized.
New projects: (1) “Improvement of water resources management in Khatlon” (2022-2024), aimed at improving livelihoods of rural communities in project area vulnerable to climate change; (2) “Technical support to Tajikistan water sector reform” (2022-2024) to achieve an efficiently planned, developed and managed water sector.
Energy. As part of the “Green energy SME development full-size project” (2018-2023), the Inter-Ministerial Working Group on RES was established and held two meetings; the draft Concept of energy sector development was developed and agreed with the Government of Tajikistan; the draft Concept of fuel and energy sectors development of the Republic of Tajikistan for the period up to 2040 was prepared.
Climate change, ecosystems. Continued: (1) “Conservation and sustainable use of Pamir Alay and Tien Shan ecosystems for snow leopard protection and sustainable community livelihoods” (2016-2022); (2) “Policy action for climate security in Central Asia (2020-2022); (3) “An integrated landscape approach to enhancing the climate resilience of small-scale farmers and pastoralists in Tajikistan” (2019-2025) – 97 representatives from different local authorities and WUAs participated in a series of trainings on climate risk accounting for integrated watershed management (March); (4) “Strengthening Disaster Risk Reduction and Response Capacities (SDRRRS)” (2016-2022) – district risks maps were disseminated; 22,400 seedlings planted on 69 ha in 8 districts; more than 20 initiatives on disaster risk reduction were implemented jointly with partners; (5) “Enabling an effective national adaptation plan for Tajikistan” (2020-2023 ) – Interdepartmental working group was established and two meetings were held with the involvement of sectoral coordinators.
The project “Leveraging nationally determined contributions to achieve net-zero emissions and climate-resilient development in response to the climate emergency” has been launched (2022-2023). It is aimed to support local communities and authorities in the East Khatlon province with eco-based solutions for the effective watershed management of the Tebalay River to reduce incidence and impact of the hydro-meteorological hazards.
SDGs. The ongoing project “Financing SDGs in Tajikistan” (2020-2022) is aimed to support the Government of Tajikistan in achieving its national SDG targets through an integrated resource mobilization framework.
Source: open.undp.org/projects
UNDP in Turkmenistan
In 2022, UNDP project portfolio in Turkmenistan included 27 projects totaling $41.99 million.
Water and land management. Continued: (1) “Developing a national adaptation planning process in Turkmenistan” (2021-2024) – the workshop “Climate change: risks, assessment, panning” was held to discuss complex risks associated with climate change, including those relevant to Turkmenistan and its main sectors of the economy, as well as review the issues of climate change-driven migration and learn about risk assessment procedures for planning policies, strategies and programs for the short, medium and long terms (November 10-11); (2) “Conservation and sustainable management of land resources and high value ecosystems in the Aral sea basin for multiple benefits” (2021-2026) - two meetings were held with key project partners in Dashoguz and Lebap velayats. The project “Energy efficiency and renewable energy for sustainable water management in Turkmenistan” (2015-2022) was successfully completed.
Climate change and environmental protection. Continued: (1) “Supporting climate resilient livelihoods in agricultural communities in drought-prone areas of Turkmenistan” (2016-2022) – the final reports on implementation of the gender-oriented local adaptation plans have been prepared and approved for six farmers associations and two livestock farms; the report on implementation of the small grant activities under the first and the second cycles (in total 19 grants) have been prepared and approved; a working meeting was held to discuss the curriculum on IWRM (February 15, online); (2) “Sustainable cities in Turkmenistan: Integrated green urban development in Ashgabat and Awaza” (2017-2024) – a working meeting was held to discuss preparation of the First Biennial Report and the Fourth National Communication of Turkmenistan on climate change, as well as the implementation of the “Nationally Determined Contribution” (NDC) in accordance with the Paris Climate Agreement (October 7); a training seminar “Introducing international experience in the development of regulatory and technical documents for the promotion of renewable energy sources in Turkmenistan” was held (May 30, online).
UNDP and the British Embassy in Turkmenistan convened the 3rd and 4th coordination meetings of the Development Partners Climate Group in Ashgabat aimed at continuing the established dialogue to accelerate the Government of Turkmenistan’s efforts to meet its international commitments under the Paris Climate Agreement (May 31 and September 6).
SDGs. As a part of the 2nd phase of the “Partnering for SDG acceleration” project (2021-2023), a draft Periodic National Report on the progress of the SDG implementation was prepared.
Source: www.tm.undp.org and open.undp.org/projects
UNDP in Uzbekistan
The directions of UNDP’s work in Uzbekistan reflect the current UN Country Programme Document (CPD) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2021-2025. They also align with the national SDGs within the 2030 Agenda.
In 2022, the UNDP project portfolio included 50 projects totaling $31.58 million.
Land and ecosystem management. Continued: (1) “Sustainable natural resource use and forest management in key mountainous areas important for globally significant biodiversity” (2017-2022) – SMART patrolling system was tested in pilot areas in Chatkal State Biosphere Reserve and Gissar Strict Nature Reserve, guidelines for implementation of SMART patrolling system in all protected areas of the country were developed and published; pasture management plans for 8 forestries were tested and approved; snow leopard research and monitoring methodology was approved by the Academy of Sciences and the State Committee on Ecology; snow leopard research center was established at the Institute of Zoology; (2) “Sustainable rural housing and settlements in Uzbekistan” (2015-2023) aimed to transform this sector towards a more sustainable and low-carbon development pathway by designing, piloting and scaling-up a green mortgage market mechanism; (3) ”Complete HCFC phase-out in Uzbekistan” (2018-2024) through promotion of zero ODS low GWP energy efficient technologies and equipment including recovery/recycling of HCFC.
Projects launched: (1) “Assisted afforestation of the vulnerable terrains of Uzbekistan” (2022-2023) - 100 ha of land in Termez city and three districts of Surkhandarya province are planted with anti-erosion plantations and forest species; 625 people (91 of them women), including 448 Afghan citizens (56 of them women) living in Surkhandarya are involved in the project; (2) “Sustainable rural development” (2022-2025, $338 million), aimed to create favorable living conditions for rural residents and ensure their access to basic infrastructure, socio-economic services including access to health and education. The project provides for construction and renovation of social facilities in 20 districts: the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Navoi, Bukhara and Khorezm regions. By the end of 2022, 66 community development plans have been developed.
Climate change. Continued: (1) “Promoting green urban development in Tashkent city through accelerating investments in low emission infrastructure” (2021-2027); (2) “Towards green recovery in Uzbekistan” (2021-2022); (3) “Supporting an inclusive transition to a green economy in the agri-food sector and development of a “climate-smart” Uzbek Agriculture Knowledge and Innovation System” (UAKIS) (2021-2025) – a seminar “Efficient use of land and water resources in agriculture” was held (November 28, Tashkent); (4) “Enhancing Multi-Hazard Early Warning System to increase resilience of Uzbekistan communities to climate change–induced hazards” (2021-2028) – introductory workshops were held to present the concept and objectives of the project (August-November); (5) “The sector-driven National Adaptation Plan (NAP)” (2020-2023) – the draft of National Climate Change Strategy of the Republic of Uzbekistan until 2030 was developed and submitted to the Government of Uzbekistan for consideration. A new project “Leveraging Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)” (2022-2023) was launched on net zero emissions and climate-resilient development in response to a climate emergency. 15 automated agrometeorological stations to expand the existing network of hydro and agrometeorological stations in the Ferghana Valley were purchased.
SDGs. The ongoing “Financing for Sustainable Development” project (2020-2023) is aimed at achieving SDGs in Uzbekistan through more efficient, transparent and result-oriented public financing. The draft Integrated National Financing Strategy was discussed with more than 60 representatives (40 men and 20 women) from government, private sector, research institutions, development partners in the financial dialogues (October 31 – November 1). The Government of Uzbekistan has developed and issued the first SDG Bond Allocation and Impact report that provides information on how the proceeds from the bond issuance are helping to achieve the Government’s development priorities and highlights Uzbekistan’s commitment to attain the SDGs.
The Aral Sea. Continued: (1) “Building the resilience of local communities against health, environmental and economic insecurities in the Aral Sea region” (2020-2022); (2) “Unleashing young people’s and vulnerable citizens’ creativity and innovation by strengthening their adaptive capacity to address the economic and food insecurities in the exposed communities of the Aral Sea region” (2021-2023); (3) “Addressing the urgent human insecurities in the Aral Sea” (2019-2022) to address the environmental, social and economic insecurities in the most vulnerable communities of the Aral Sea.
Projects launched: (1) “Conservation and sustainable management of lakes, wetlands and riparian corridors (2022-2026), aimed at improving a resilient Aral basin landscape supporting sustainable livelihoods – the project started the analysis of hydro-climatic scenarios and water management models to optimize water allocation among multiple users.(2) “Strengthening the capacity of rural communities in infrastructure management in the Aral Sea region” ($5 million). Work will be carried out to introduce water- and energy-efficient, new agricultural, ozone-friendly technologies in different sectors in a balanced manner.
Gender. New project “Achieving gender equality in the Republic of Uzbekistan” was launched (2022-2024). The Project aims to support the implementation of the Strategy for achieving gender equality in the republic – a policy brief on nationwide survey on gender stereotypes and patriarchal norms is to be finalized.
Source: www.uz.undp.org and open.undp.org/projects