In the UNECE region, the Fourth Cycle of Environmental Performance Reviews (EPR) kicks off with the review of Tajikistan, carried out for the fourth time under the leadership of UNECE.
A large, multidisciplinary team of international experts worked in Dushanbe from 6 to 15 November 2023, assessing the environmental performance of the country by examining developments during the past eight years.
This is the 59th EPR since the establishment of the Programme 27 years ago. UNECE Environmental Performance Reviews offer a comprehensive tool to help countries identify key environmental challenges and establish concrete recommendations to improve environmental sustainability across all sectors.
The fourth review of Tajikistan measures progress made and considers challenges encountered in the areas of air quality, water management, biodiversity and protected areas, soil protection, waste and chemicals management and greening the economy. It also examines the country’s environmental data, information and observation systems, the extent to which international environmental agreements and commitments are implemented, and activities regarding climate change.
Public access to environmental information, participation in environmental decision-making and access to justice on environmental matters is reviewed, as is the integration of education for sustainable development into the education system’s curriculum, institutions and society. The review is also looking at the country’s environmental legal, policy and institutional framework and regulatory and compliance assurance mechanisms. In addition, the review covers the integration of environmental considerations into agriculture, energy, industry and transport, as well as issues related to human health and the environment.
In addition, this review will assess the country’s progress towards relevant targets and indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals. The review team will examine how the Goals are being adapted to the national context and how the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is put into practice, whether the necessary resources have been allocated and responsibilities are clear, what obstacles have been encountered when targeting the Goals and what concrete results have already been achieved.
Building on the analysis of progress made since 2016, the review will result in a set of recommendations on how to improve Tajikistan’s environmental performance. The review process will culminate with the UNECE Committee on Environmental Policy considering the recommendations in autumn 2024, with a view to their adoption, and the country making a commitment to implement them within the next five to ten years.
The country review mission, which included engagement with different stakeholders including businesses and civil society, was organized by the Committee for Environmental Protection under the Government of Tajikistan with support from the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The fourth review of Tajikistan is made possible with financial and in-kind support from Austria, France, Germany (the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection and the German Federal Environment Agency, with funds provided through the Advisory Assistance Programme; and the Bavarian Environment Agency and Water Management Office Rosenheim), Italy and Switzerland, as well as the European Investment Bank and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
The review draws on the experience of the UN Country Team, UNDP, UNICEF, WHO, FAO and UN Women, as well as the Asian Development Bank and Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development.
For more information about the UNECE EPRs, please visit http://www.unece.org/env/epr