UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2023-2027)
UNECE is a signatory of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework and contributes in particular to the following strategic priorities:
Outcome 1. Outcome 1.1: By 2022, inclusive and sustainable economic growth is increased through agricultural, industrial and rural development, decent work, improved livelihoods, food security and nutrition.
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Outcome 2. By 2027, the well-being of the population of the Kyrgyz Republic will increase through the development of a green economy based on sustainable and nutrition-sensitive food systems, natural resource management and migration processes, accelerating digitalization, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
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Outcome 3. By 2027, Kyrgyzstan has started the transition to low-carbon development and risk-informed climate resilience, contributing to people’s fair and equitable access to ecosystem benefits and to empowerment of vulnerable communities in the governance of natural resources, as well as disaster prevention and response.
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Outcome 4. By 2027, the people of Kyrgyzstan, especially vulnerable groups, enjoy fair and accountable democratic institutions that are free from corruption and apply innovative and digital solutions that promote respect for human rights, and strengthen peace and cohesion.
UNECE works in close cooperation with the Resident Coordinator and the United Nations Country Team.
Key highlights
Energy
UNECE is supporting Kyrgyzstan through several technical cooperation projects focused on energy efficiency, including in buildings and with respect to resource management and critical raw materials, decarbonising the transport sector by using natural gas, hydrogen and others.
At the request of the Government, UNECE has also developed study Women entrepreneurship in natural resource management: Challenges and opportunities for the micro-, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) sector in the post-COVID-19 socio-economic recovery, with a case study of Kyrgyzstan (SDG5 and SDG7).
Environment
Kyrgyzstan is a Party to 3 UNECE environmental conventions and several of their protocols.
The 3rd Environmental Performance Review of Kyrgyzstan is forthcoming and will cover issues of specific importance related legal and policy frameworks, greening the economy, air protection, water and waste management, biodiversity and protected areas.
Kyrgyzstan is encouraged to ratify the Protocol on Long-term Financing of the Cooperative Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Long-range Transmission of Air Pollutants (EMEP), as well as the the GMO Amendment to the Aarhus Convention (SDG9, SDG11 and SDG13).
UNECE has supported national policy dialogues on water, which led to the signing of the signing of the bilateral Chu-Talas Agreement between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and setting up of the Chu-Talas Commission (SDG6).
Forests
UNECE is focused on supporting the protection, restoration and enhancement of forest landscapes, including urban forests, supporting national monitoring, assessment and reporting on forests and sustainable forest management, as well as the development of the forest information system in the country (SDG12, SDG13 and SDG15).
UNECE has published the National profile of Kyrgyzstan’s forests and forest sector and an overview of the State of Forests and Forest Management in Kyrgyzstan. It is working with the Government to develop the country-owned strategy for landscape restoration and greening the infrastructure of the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Bishkek and 14 other Kyrgyz cities participate in the UNECE Trees in Cities Challenge, to expand and sustainably manage urban trees and forests as an urban nature-based solution.
Gender
The standards body of Kyrgyzstan is invited to sign the Declaration on Gender-Responsive Standards and Standards Development (SDG5, SDG9 and SDG12).
Statistics
In 2021 UNECE finalized a Global Assessment of the National Statistical System of Kyrgyzstan, which contains around 100 recommendations for improvement on topics ranging from legal and organisational aspects to detailed technical and methodological points. As a follow-up to the Global Assessment, the National Statistical Committee plans to prepare a national strategy for the development of official statistics, which UNECE is ready to support (SDG11).
Trade
Kyrgyzstan participates in UNECE-led initiatives on trade facilitation, notably the implementation of the SPECA Trade Facilitation Strategy. UNECE has carried out an assessment of the readiness of Kyrgyzstan to implement the SPECA Principles of Sustainable Trade and will deliver national trainings on this basis.
UNECE is also supporting activities to identify 8 infrastructure projects to be developed using the UNECE People-first PPP Evaluation Methodology.
The UNECE Innovation for Sustainable Development Review of Kyrgyzstan explores how innovation can contribute not only to long-term economic growth of the country, but also how to help address pressing social and environmental concerns (SDG8, SDG9, SDG12).
Kyrgyzstan has an opportunity to accelerate circular economy transition by active participation in Circular STEP stakeholder engagement platform (SDG9).
Transport
Kyrgyzstan has acceded to 12 UN legal instruments on inland transport. As a landlocked country, its reliance on inland transport makes the UN legal instruments on inland transport administered by UNECE particularly meaningful to facilitate cross-border and transit movements across land borders. It is encouraged to continue active participation in the Euro-Asian Transport Links Project (EATL) corridor management, and to connection to the eTIR international system (SDG9 and SDG11).
In addition to the EATL, UNECE is focused on supporting Kyrgyzstan to strengthen its capacity to develop sustainable urban mobility policy on car sharing and car-pooling initiatives, and sustainable mobility and smart connectivity (SDG8 and SDG9).
Urban development
Due to the high natural population growth, Kyrgyzstan faces rapid urbanization and urban sprawl. Accordingly, UNECE is supporting the Government to develop effective national housing and urban development policies and institutions based on the principles of The Geneva UN Charter on Sustainable Housing, and to promote smart sustainable and resilient urban development through the implementation at national and local levels of The Geneva Declaration of Mayors and the San Marino Declaration.
To that end UNECE has published the Smart sustainable city profile of Bishkek (SDG3 and SDG11).