Statement by Antje Grawe, UNRC, at National Climate Dialogue “Road to COP 29. Adaptation to climate change: coordinating action, enhancing ambition and unlocking finance”

Dear Vice Prime-Minister Edil Baisalov, 

Dear excellencies, partners, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, 

It is not only a distinct honor to speak at the opening of the National Climate Dialogue ahead of COP29 but what we have just listened live from Dinara Kemelovato in Baku and from you, Vice Prime-Minister Edil Baisalov, underscores that things are coming together in a way that we had hoped for a year ago when Kyrgyzstan started advocating at global level to institutionalize mountains and climate change against the backdrop of the Mountain Agenda. 

What has been achieved so far has been an enormous effort by Kyrgyzstan and the many involved ministries, for instance the Ministry of Natural Resources or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The President and the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers themselves have been advocating the world for a year for the establishment of this High-Level Dialogue on Mountains and Climate Change and seeing progress now is a very special moment. If this High-Level Dialogue is indeed going to take place in Baku in a month from now, it would be an enormous success!

The upcoming COP29 is not only relevant to Kyrgyzstan because it is in the wider Central Asian Region, a hop away from Bishkek, but also since it is about access to climate finance, it is about adaption and speaking to the needs of people. I would like to thank the Minister of Natural Resources and the colleagues from WFP for bringing all relevant stakeholders together to discuss strategically what can be done to enable Kyrgyzstan to tap into climate finance and bring together adaptation plans that mitigate the impact of climate change on the country and its most vulnerable people. 

The climate outlook for Central Asia, and in particular Kyrgyzstan, is alarming. Over the past 50 years, the average temperature in Central Asia has increased by 1.5° C, surpassing the global average of 1.1° C. This has led to increased floods and droughts, and economic and ecological disruptions. 

Kyrgyzstan, the third most vulnerable country to climate change in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, is particularly sensitive to climate change, with shrinking glaciers and unpredictable weather patterns. Climate-induced floods, mudflows and landslides accounted for 74 percent of total disasters between 2012 and 2019 with an average economic loss of USD 70 million annually. And this year alone has registered over 300 cases of mudflows due to intense precipitation causing human casualties, economic loss and the loss of livelihoods. 

The melting of glaciers, with over 30% of them already lost, threatens the water supply for millions of people in Central Asia, severely impacting their economic activities. Given that 90% of Kyrgyzstan’s water resources come from glaciers, this poses a serious challenge to agriculture, hydropower, and livelihoods of local communities who depend on these resources. The World Bank estimates that without action, economic losses from droughts and floods in Central Asia could reach up to 13% of GDP annually. Agricultural yields could decline by 30% by 2050, resulting in potential climate-related displacement of more than 5 million people. 

President Zhaparov expressed these concerns during the 79th UN General Assembly session less than two weeks ago, noting that “increasing natural disasters and reduction of water resources in mountain ecosystems...threaten the lives of local communities and inflict serious damage on national economies”. 

To address climate change, Kyrgyzstan has established a comprehensive national policy and institutional frameworks to address climate change. Land, water and forest Codes have been amended and supplemented to ensure the implementation of effective adaptation measures. The Kyrgyz Republic has set an ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. This is only possible by increasing energy generation through hydropower plants and promoting integration of renewable energy sources, and by developing electric transport infrastructure. 

Moreover, Kyrgyzstan is updating its National Adaptation Programme, as an essential tool for the country and its communities to cope with the imminent climate challenges. In addition, in collaboration with development partners, including the UN System, Kyrgyzstan is embarking on developing scaled-up Nationally Determined Contributions 3.0 (NDCs) and the Carbon Neutrality Strategy. 

Beyond that, key UN initiatives include the development of local mitigation plans, which assess hazards such as floods, mudflows and landslides, and geographic and socio-economic vulnerabilities; an AI-driven system for real-time monitoring of glacial lake outbursts in over 2,000 high mountain lakes; an Air Pollution platform bringing together international development partners, NGOs, academia and private sector supporting the implementation of the governments initiatives addressing this issue. We also support Kyrgyzstan’s flagship initiative at global level, the Mountain Agenda, and in particular Kyrgyzstan’s ambitious and commendable effort aimed at establishing permanent dialogue on climate change and mountains under the COP framework.

However, more needs to be done. Strategies need to be translated into action. There is an urgent need to reduce consumption of fossil fuels and, instead, increase renewable energy generation. Food security programmes, for example, should be implemented with due consideration for minimizing their environmental impact. And effective adaptation measures should be based on the use of scientific evidence, holistic and multi-stakeholder approaches that include the business community, banking sector, civil society and access to new technologies. 

Moreover, successful adaptation will depend on addressing the needs of vulnerable communities and organizing climate finance plans at large scale. Only such large-scale investments will reduce climate risks and sustainably improve the life of people, in particular with regards to equity, gender equality and social inclusion.

According to UN assessments, Central Asia and South Caucasus need U$38 billion annually in climate financing until 2030 to mitigate economic losses. This is why the forthcoming COP29 in Baku is so important as it focuses on access to climate finance to turn ambition into action. 

The urgent need to accelerate climate financing was also reflected by world leaders in the Pact for the Future, adopted at the Summit of the Future in New York, in which UN Member States recognized that “adaptation finance will have to be significantly scaled up to (…) support the urgent and evolving needs to accelerate adaptation and build resilience in developing countries, while emphasizing that finance, capacity-building and technology transfer are critical enablers of climate action”.  Within this, it is of particular importance to note the friction between so called developing world and the developed world. 

Kyrgyzstan with its particular vulnerabilities must be able to tap into these financial resources and that includes, of course, traditional sources of financing such as the Global Environmental Facility and the Green Climate Fund. However, Kyrgyzstan will also need to draw back on innovative ways of access to finance. This means finance from International Financial Institutions, which the Secretary-General called to reform in order to enable these Institutions to better support the vulnerable countries. It includes also working with the banking sector and looking into country-level pooled funds. The UN System is currently working with the Kyrgyz government in designing such a pooled fund and Multi-Partner Trust Fund to support climate adaptation and environmental protection.

In conclusion, allow me to stress the importance of multi-stakeholder coordination and cooperation. It brings together the national and international actors for multilateral and national solutions. So, I would like to invite us all to think out of the box and on how we can all best support Kyrgyzstan in enhancing its adaptation and enabling its access to finance. 

Thank you.