BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 23. On April 22, 2026, a panel session titled “Regional Cooperation for Biodiversity Conservation in Central Asia: From Global Commitments to Joint Action” was held in Astana as part of the Regional Ecological Summit 2026 (RES 2026) TurkicWorld reports.
The session featured remarks by Yerlan Nyssanbayev, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Aziz Abdukhakimov, Chairperson of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change; Akyl Toktobaev, Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic; Bahodur Sheralizoda, Chairman of the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan; Ovezgeldi Goshjanov, Minister of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan.
Special guests included United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme Inger Andersen, as well as United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme Haoliang Xu.
During the panel, the heads of environmental ministries and state committees of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan signed a landmark Regional Declaration on cooperation in the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity in Central Asia.
Speaking at the event, President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, Professor Aktoty Raimkulova, emphasized the strategic importance of shared cultural heritage and traditional knowledge of Turkic peoples, shaped over centuries, in protecting the environment. She also highlighted the need to move from short-term environmental initiatives toward a more systemic, society-wide approach.
The event was also attended by high-level representatives of international organizations, including Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity Astrid Schomaker, Secretary-General of CITES Ivonne Higuero, Regional Director of IUCN for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Oliver Avramovski, Chief Climate Investment Coordinator of the Green Climate Fund Eldana Jumalieva, and UNDP Resident Representative in Uzbekistan Akiko Fujii. Participants discussed issues related to preserving migration corridors of endangered species and protecting biodiversity across the region.
