This side event on “Nature-based Solutions for Central Asia” was co-organised by the OECD, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Scientific Information Centre of the Inter-State Commission for Water Coordination of Central Asia (SIC ICWC). It took place on 23 April 2026 in Astana, Kazakhstan, within the framework of the Regional Ecological Summit 2026.
The event was opened by several high-level speakers, including:
- Mr Nurken Sharbiev, Vice-Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- Dr Eva Kracht, Director General for International and European Policy, German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN)
- Ms Tatiana Molcean, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of UNECE
- Ms Mathilde Mesnard, Deputy Director, Environment Directorate, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Discussions highlighted concrete examples of nature-based solutions in Central Asia that aim to address growing and interconnected environmental pressures, including water scarcity, land degradation, salinisation and increasing climate risks. These pressures continue to affect ecosystems, agricultural productivity and local livelihoods across the region.
Speakers included representatives of the co-organisers, as well as the Youth Group for Protection of Environment (YGPE) of Tajikistan, the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, International Water Management Institute and the United Nations Environment Programme. They shared insights from their on-going work and highlighted the need to better integrate NbS into national and sectoral policies and to consider them on an equal footing with traditional engineering solutions and grey infrastructure.
Key messages
- Regional co-operation and knowledge exchange are essential to support the wider implementation of NbS across interconnected water, land-use and climate challenges.
- Scaling up NbS in Central Asia requires stronger integration into governance arrangements, sectoral policies, public investment criteria and financing frameworks.
- Good practice examples from across the region demonstrated the growing potential of nature-based solutions for ecosystem restoration, climate resilience, sustainable water management and support for local livelihoods.
- The increasing recognition of natural capital in national development strategies creates important opportunities for scaling up NbS across Central Asia.