In just a few days, the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change - COP29 - will begin in Azerbaijan. For a fortnight, Baku will become the centre of the world and will host about 100,000 foreign guests. Kyrgyzstan will also present its vision of how our country contributes to combating climate change and what adaptation ways it proposes. By the way, a national pavilion of our republic will be opened in Baku this year.

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is the agreement signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference in the climate system. The abbreviation COP stands for ‘Conference of Parties’.

Being one of the vulnerable states, Kyrgyzstan is actively working on enhancing its resilience to climate change. Several measures and initiatives have been adopted at the state policy level.

For example, the Concept of Carbon Neutrality by 2050 has been developed. The country is working on an enhanced transparency framework in line with Article 13 of the Paris Agreement. At COP28 last year, the Kyrgyz Republic initiated a new global dialogue ‘Mountains and Climate’.

The primary mitigation potential is concentrated in the energy, agriculture, forestry and other land use activities.

The energy sector generates about 60% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions. The mitigation potential in this sector will be achieved by fossil fuel consumption reduction and  RES-based energy generation increase, as well as the energy supply system modernisation.

Climate change is a growing threat to Kyrgyzstan. Rising temperatures, increased frequency of extreme weather events and changing precipitation patterns endanger water resources, agriculture and rural livelihoods. Villagers face serious challenges, including agricultural seasonal variability, water scarcity and ecosystem degradation.

The Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision has re-launched the Climate Dialogue Platform. This platform aims to establish an effective dialogue and exchange of information, knowledge and experiences between government agencies, the civil sector, business, scientific and educational circles and development partners on climate change issues in the Kyrgyz Republic.

The National Climate Forum-Dialogue "Pathway to COP-29. Adaptation to Climate Change: Coordination, Strengthening Action and Improving Access to Finance" has brought together key stakeholders to share what society faces while adapting to climate impacts, as well as to explore the appropriate funding needed to support these measures. The event was organised with the WFP's assistance.

The platform is created for national and local stakeholders, especially rural communities and vulnerable groups, to voice their concerns, adaptation actions and financial needs. Facilitating dialogue between national experts, policymakers and communities to improve adaptation planning processes in our country, ensuring they are inclusive, integrated and responsive to the specific climate risks faced by both urban and rural populations.

For instance, Deputy Minister of Economy and Commerce Sanzhar Bolotov said the ministry would present a green economy programme at COP29. It was developed jointly with development partners with the involvement of independent experts. All current areas of work will be introduced. In the green economy programme, the main priorities will be focused on green agriculture, green energy, green tourism, energy efficiency, green industry and others.

Deputy Health Minister Bubuzhan Arykbayeva shared data on the climate change results. 52.3% of the world's population die from heart disease, most of them are residents of mountainous and high-mountainous regions. In the world, 3 million people die annually from the effects of smoking. And 7 million people die from the consequences of air pollution.

The Programme ‘Clean Stoves’, financed by the World Bank, is being implemented in our republic. Some households are being equipped with new models of cookers, making a significant contribution to combating air pollution. But to cover as many houses as possible with the Programme, additional funding of $6 million will be required.

According to Antje Grave, the UN Resident Coordinator in Kyrgyzstan, our state a year ago started a dialogue on climate change in mountainous regions, which are currently under negative impact.

"If we consider the climate impact on Central Asia and your country as a whole, we can notice a large-scale reduction in the area of glaciers (up to 70%), which leads to vulnerability to climate impact. The damage is up to $70 million per year. We need to realise that 90% of the republic's resources depend directly on the state of glaciers, which affects the well-being of the local population, especially its vulnerable layers,’ she said.

By the way, climate finance will be one of COP29's central themes. The conference will also discuss a just energy transition, technological innovations in the energy sector and education for new generations, including support for youth initiatives to combat climate change and dialogue on climate change in mountain regions.