Central Asia Needs Unified Environmental Standards

Central Asia unites to combat worsening air pollution and ecological threats

The countries of Central Asia face interconnected environmental challenges, many of which are transboundary in nature. Solutions to these issues were discussed yesterday during a panel session titled "Central Asia's Shared Environmental Agenda: Launching the Regional Environmental Performance Review Process."

Opening the session, Kazakhstan's Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Yerlan Nysanbayev, noted that Kazakhstan is proposing a systemic response to the current situation—developing protective forest belts and launching the "Green Shield of Central Asia" initiative.

"We see this initiative not as a one-time greening campaign but as the foundation for the region's long-term ecological sustainability," the minister said. "Kazakhstan has accumulated significant experience in forest restoration and afforestation under challenging natural and climatic conditions. A prime example is the forest belt around the capital. Since 1997, a unique project has been implemented here in stages to create a forest area now covering 102,000 hectares."

Notably, since 2021, Kazakhstan's State Forest Fund has planted 1.648 billion seedlings, while more than 18.1 million trees have taken root in populated areas across the country, purifying and revitalizing the air.

The need for coordinated interstate action against air pollution was also emphasized during the session by Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision, Akyl Toktobayev.

The minister stressed that particular attention must be paid to air pollution, which is transboundary and driven by factors such as emissions from heating stoves, transportation, and industry. Addressing this issue requires new mechanisms for regional cooperation in air quality monitoring, Toktobayev said, underscoring that in this context, regional collaboration should be not just desirable but essential.

According to Tatyana Molchan, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Central Asia is currently undergoing profound transformation, marked by economic growth and a rising population.

This creates additional opportunities for development but also increases pressure on the environment, healthcare systems, and economic resilience. That is why Central Asian countries are shifting from individual assessments to a joint regional approach, building on over 30 years of experience in conducting targeted environmental reviews. The 2025 analysis presented demonstrates the potential for developing coordinated strategic decisions and strengthening cooperation, a UN representative explained.

Meanwhile, Aziz Abdukhakimov, environmental advisor to the President of Uzbekistan and chair of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, believes the region urgently needs to adopt unified approaches.

"Numerous discussions have been held recently, and attempts have been made to establish working groups. However, support from international partners remains crucial to launching full-fledged processes. In the near future, we plan to move from proposing initiatives to their practical implementation," Abdukhakimov clarified.

This means one of the key steps must be the harmonization of environmental standards and regulations. This is not a new challenge for Central Asia—countries in the region already share a historical experience that could facilitate the process. Yet, given their current economic development, it is essential to adopt a phased approach, allowing Central Asian nations to progress toward common standards at different speeds but within a shared framework.