The 3rd phase of the EU’s WECOOP Project coincided with some notable events and developments not only in the EU and the countries of Central Asia, but worldwide. To overcome climate change and environmental degradation, and as a lifeline out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU approved a new course – the European Green Deal. Many policies and regulations have been revised or newly adopted under the overarching aim of making Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The WECOOP Project has been consistently reporting on these new developments and emerging legislation through the project’s news bulletins. All countries of Central Asia have also undertaken to achieve climate-neutrality in the meantime. As the largest donor in the world, the EU welcomes this forward-looking decision. At the Seventh EU–Central Asia High-Level Conference on Water and Environment Cooperation on 23-24 February 2023 in Rome, Italy, the EU reiterated its support to the five countries of the region accelerating a green transformation of their economies to ensure sustainable development.

After three and a half years of dedicated work to enhance national environment, climate change and water policies and to promote green investments in Central Asia, the WECOOP project is closing on 14 April 2023.

The Project team, namely, Team Leader Mr Valts Vilnītis, Key Experts Dr Anatoly Krutov and Dr Vladislav Bizek, and all senior and junior experts, would like to sincerely thank all the colleagues and partners in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as in the European Union, for professionalism and respectful cooperation. The success of our project would not be possible without the mutual trust and dedication to the common goal – sustainable development of the Central Asian region.

The Project team is delighted to share this video of a brief overview of project results (in English and Russian).