Concept

   1.   BACKGROUND

1.1. Youth and leadership.

CALP is a flagship initiative of the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) undertaken since 2010 designed to improve leadership capacity of young and mid-level      professionals of various organization from governmental, non-governmental, commercial organizations           working towards sustainable development      in Central Asia         . It is organized annually and applies      a multi-stakeholder approach      to ensure a comprehensive understanding of environmental and sustainable development issues from a regional perspective.

 

1.2. CALP: A Platform for leadership and capacity building in Central Asian region 

Young and mid-level professionals      represent one of the key target groups of CAREC stakeholders. The Central Asian Leadership Programme on Environment for Sustainable Development (CALP) is designed to equip      participants with cutting-edge knowledge and innovative leadership methodologies in responding to global, regional, and national environmental challenges. It also promotes the participation of young leaders in environmental decision-making by using their leadership skills and increasing their knowledge.  Opening new professional horizons for the youth and mid-level professionals from Central Asia. CALP provides also a regular platform for development agencies to share their knowledge, products and initiatives.

 

1.3. The 14TH CALP will be mainly focused on glacial horizons and climate sensitive mountains disaster risk management, promotion of connectivity of Central Asian youth by providing a neutral regional youth dialogue platform for discussing water cooperation, water diplomacy, gender equality, climate change, energy efficiency, gender, the NEXUS approach and other development issues between governments, academia, civil society, as well as strengthening and highlighting their role and voice in the regional cooperation.

 

Over 13 years from 2010 to 2023, about 385 young people from five countries of Central Asia and Afghanistan – representatives of state environmental, water and energy sectors, NGOs, universities, and the green business – have graduated from the CALP. From year to year, CAREC receives more and more nominations from state bodies of Central Asian countries, NGOs, and regional organizations, which confirms recognition and relevance of the program by national partners.

     

   2.   IMPLEMENTING AND SUPPORTING PARTNERS

14th CALP will be organized by CAREC in cooperation with the Swiss Initiative Blue Peace Central Asia, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, GIZ.

 

   3. 14th CALP: GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The overarching goal of the 14^th CALP is to empower and inspire young professionals from in Central Asia to become influential leaders in the field of environmental change. By providing them with the necessary knowledge, skills, and networks, CALP aims to cultivate a new generation of change-makers to address climate change challenges, disaster risk management, and foster regional collaboration for a resilient and environmentally conscious future in Central Asia.

The main objectives of the 14^th CALP are: 

– Promote the Leadership as a tool for cooperation, innovation and change for sustainable development;

– Highlight a Youth’s role in innovations in the field of environment and sustainable development in Central Asia;

– Demonstrate a Youth’s role and opportunities in strengthening regional water cooperation in Central Asia;

– Glacial horizons in Central Asia

– Mountains disaster risk management.

– Present an important role of the water diplomacy with emphasis on gender-sensitive negotiation and mediation skills;

– Promote innovative solutions and instruments to assess transboundary cooperation in the region, as well as the integrated holistic and intersectoral approaches to water resources management;

– Produce the policymakers and researchers of tomorrow, who will be at the forefront of global efforts towards a more sustainable future;

Thematic areas:

Thematic areas of the 14th CALP will be related to various thematic areas including glacial horizons, mountains disaster risk management, water diplomacy, transboundary waters, glaciers, high altitude lake, water resources management.

Participants in the Central Asian Leadership Programme will have the opportunity to explore all components of regional water cooperation in Central Asia. The program will provide theoretical knowledge on the impact of climate change on melting glaciers in the region and changing ecosystems. Subsequently, participants will delve into the current state of regional and transboundary cooperation, along with various aspects of sustainable water management influencing inter-state water relations, including gender and inclusive desicion-making. The program will equip participants with tools and approaches for making integrated decisions (WEFE Nexus, IWRM) that consider the needs of different sectors and levels, including the complex ecological systems of the region. In the final days of the programme, CALP participants will engage in a field trip to the Almaty mountains, where trainers and ecologists will guide them through local ecosystems to collectively assess the impact of climate change.

 

   4. TARGET GROUPS:

– young environmental leaders from the following state agencies related to the SCP and green development issues – ministries of agriculture, environment, water and energy;

– civil society organizations of Central Asia, working in the field of water management, water diplomacy, glaciers, and circular economy.

 

   5.  EXPECTED RESULTS:

– The importance of water diplomacy with emphasis on gender-sensitive negotiation and mediation skills is effectively promoted.

– The prospects for effective decision-making in the field of climate change, energy efficiency, water resources and sustainable development are improved: CALP helps to ensure a comprehensive understanding of environmental and sustainable development issues for future decision makers on environmental issues in the region.

– CALP participants participated in a field trip to the Almaty mountains, where trainers and ecologists guided them through local ecosystems to collectively assess the impact of climate change, particularly in proximity to the high altitude lackes.

 

   6.  SUSTAINABILITY OF THE PROJECT RESULTS

– increased knowledge, improved awareness of young leaders of the Central Asian region will become a basis for maintaining sustainable results of the CALP in the field of climate change, water management, and water diplomacy. glaciers and circular economy;

– developed potential of young leaders in the Central Asian region will become the basis for implementing the decisions of the COP-26 and making more sustainable decisions in the field of climate change, the transition to carbon neutrality and green development;

– thematic report, presentations and publications on the results of the project will be posted on CAREC website https://carececo.org/main/activity/projects/tsentralno-aziatskaya-programma-liderstva-po-okruzhayushchey-srede-dlya-ustoychivogo-razvitiya-tsapl/ and in CAREC social media https://www.facebook.com/carececo, and become a useful sources of information for stakeholders in Centre Asia and beyond.

– CACIP is the Central Asia Climate Information Platform (CACIP) https://ca-climate.org/, developed to help stakeholders to access, analyze, and visualize public-domain data to support improved awareness, assessment, and decision support. This initiative has been undertaken to address key gaps in the region pertaining to access to climate information and related knowledge base for adaptation and mitigation measures. The CACIP makes available comprehensive and up-to-date relevant climate data and information, linking with high-quality datasets from global, regional, and local sources and provides analytical tools and interfaces for the visualization and interpretation of data and information.