Summer "climate" school for the youth of Central Asia was held in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan
From August 17 to 26, 2023, twenty young people from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan gathered in the mountains of the northern Tien Shan in eastern Kyrgyzstan to learn about climate-related security risks in mountain areas and discuss innovative solutions and collective action to minimizing these risks.
The Summer School was organized by the Office of the Coordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities in cooperation with the OSCE Program Office in Bishkek, the Tien Shan Alpine Science Centre, the NGO “Kyrgyz Students for a Green Economy”, and the Berlin think tank Adelphi.
“Young people are innovators, agents of change and the driving force behind a climate-resilient and peaceful future,” Igli Hasani, Coordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities said, in his opening remarks at the opening of the Summer School, according to the Organization’s website.
The Summer School program included lectures, interactive discussions, joint group work and exciting excursions to the Kara-Batkak glacier. This experience allowed participants to gain insight into the impact of climate change on mountain ecosystems and on the livelihoods of local communities that depend on these rich ecosystems.
Since the first Regional Youth Conference on Climate Change hosted by the OSCE in October 2022 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, the Summer School has facilitated networking and exchanges among young people across Central Asia on climate change issues and preparing a range of proposals for youth initiatives.
The Central Asian Regional Youth Summer School on Climate Change and Mountain Security was organized as part of the OSCE project “Strengthening the Response to Security Risks from Climate Change in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia”, which is being implemented in partnership with Adelphi and in close cooperation with OSCE field operations.
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