Date/time: 11 June 2020, at 14.00 hrs.

Venue: Committee for Environmental Protection

 Remarks by Dr. (Ms.) Pratibha Mehta,

UNDP Resident Representative

Mr. Bahodur Sheralizoda, Chairman of the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan,

First of all, I would like to express sincere congratulations upon your appointment as the Chairman of the Committee on Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan. I’m convinced that under your leadership, our collaboration with the Committee for Environmental Protection will have a new impetus towards addressing environmental issues in the country, positively impacting peoples’ lives, and bringing the country closer to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.

We are all here today, with the world experiencing one of the most destructive and profound structural, social and economic shocks in recent history in the wake of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

We all realize that, in addition to health risks, COVID-19 also results in disrupted food supplies, food price hikes, and reduction of incomes. All these challenges require urgent actions to mitigate potential impacts on food availability as well as urgent adoption of current agricultural practices to minimize the use of hazardous inputs and overexploitation of natural resources.

Climate change is expected to add up to these issues and will exacerbate widespread, long-term, unprecedented effects of disproportionate burden on the poorest and the most vulnerable. As it is well known, Tajikistan is one of the most climate-vulnerable country in the Europe and CIS region and least able to adapt[1]. This is due to the country’s high dependence on agriculture, hence precipitation, high levels of environmental degradation, soil erosion, deforestation tempos, deteriorating infrastructure and limited institutional capacities.

High population’s dependence on natural resources (with over 66% of the population engaged in agriculture), high food insecurity (with 2/3 of the agricultural production depending on irrigation, and 55% of cereal crops depending on precipitation)[2] indicate importance of devising response actions to climate change, as annual losses of gross agricultural output caused by disasters attributable to climate events are estimated at 1/3 of all losses [3].

Actions require massive investments into climate change adaptation efforts. In response to these issues, UNDP in Tajikistan put together the project “An integrated landscape approach to enhancing the climate resilience of small-scale farmers and pastoralists in Tajikistan” for US$ 9,2 mln. funded by the Adaptation Fund. The project was developed to address the immediate challenges and longer-term risks to sustainable development posed by climate-induced hazards to the most vulnerable people in Kafirnighan river basin, one of the most vulnerable areas to the climatic variabilities.

The project will be implemented utilizing national implementation modality and will be implemented by the Committee for Environmental Protection of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan. Within the framework of this project, close collaboration will be continued with Agency for Hydrometeorology, Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, Agency for Land Reclamation and Irrigation, and local authorities in project target districts, namely Vakhdat, Faizobod and Varzob in the north; and Nosiri Khusrav, Kabodiyon and Shaartuz in the south.

The fact that we are launching this flagship project is not the only reason to celebrate today. I am happy to inform that last week we have learnt that another project proposal by UNDP, on “Enabling an Effective National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Process for Tajikistan” ($3mln, 36 months) was approved by the Green Climate Fund. The project is designed to promote the integration of climate change adaptation issues into national and sectoral development plans.

I am pleased to note, that both projects are a result of our successful collaboration with the Committee for Environmental Protection within the framework of UNDP project on “Facilitating Climate Resilience in Tajikistan” funded by the Government of the Russian Federation, that provided funding to support the development of project proposals to access climate finance mechanisms.

In conclusion, I take this opportunity to thank the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan for partnership and collaboration in building sustainable and resilient development pathways for Tajikistan.

Thank you very much.

[1] World Bank, 2009. Adapting to Climate Change in Europe and Central Asia;

[2] FAO, October 2009. Food Security Assessment Mission Report, Tajikistan;

[3] National Action Plan for Climate Change Mitigation of the Republic of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, 2003.