The stakeholder conference was organised by the Central Asian Sustainable Innovation Bureau (CASIB) with the support of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the Ministry of Innovative Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the DLR project management agency, and the AHK Central Asia.

The conference was opened by Dr Shahlo Turdikulova (Vice Minister for Innovative Development of Uzbekistan), Dr Tilo Klinner (German Ambassador to Uzbekistan), and Prof Karsten Heinz, representing BMBF. On the first conference day focussing on regional projects on climate protection, participants discussed political and financial framework conditions for climate action in Central Asia. The CLIENT II project ÖkoFlussPlan presented sustainable energy solutions in rural Kyrgyzstan, showcasing its newly established “Real Labs”. The first day ended with a panel discussion on regulatory frameworks and implementation measures.

The second day of the conference shed light on climate adaptation measures in Central Asia. Project Director Dr Caroline Milow outlined promotional measures within the framework of the Green Central Asia Initiative and Akmal Ungalov (Ministry for Innovative Development of Uzbekistan) gave an input about the topic of project-effective framework conditions. He clarified that the Ministry is highly interested in international cooperation within the framework of application-oriented research projects and their implementation. The CLIENT II projects KendyrTEX, KASHEMP, KlimALEZ, ReKKS und TERESA as well as the SATREPS programme (Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development) presented themselves in detail in the following project unit. The second day of the conference also ended with a panel discussion in which representatives from politics and project implementation exchanged views.

The efforts and interest of the Central Asian states in improving the framework conditions for international project measures in the field of climate change were repeatedly highlighted at the CASIB stakeholder conference. Accelerated expansion of renewable energies and the implementation of resource-saving technologies in land use are the main goals in adapting to climate change. The broad range of conference participants illustrates the great interest in applied climate research and the desire for networking and exchange formats.