IGPN - International Green Purchasing Network

March 1, 2024

Central Asia championing sustainable consumption and production

Central Asian governments are making significant strides in integrating sustainable consumption and production (SCP) practices into their policies. This commitment is evident through various initiatives and policy dialogues on sustainable public procurement and eco-labelling, sustainable finance, sustainable tourism certification, and sustainable lifestyles. Countries like Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are leading the way in these efforts.

Kazakhstan paving the way for an eco-labelling roadmap:

Kazakhstan plans to introduce environmental requirements into the procurement of government agencies and quasi-state companies. These requirements include the purchasing of goods that use recycled raw materials, saving natural resources in the production of goods, a high degree of waste recycling measures, and environmental labeling of products. The initiative brings together the Ministries of Finance, Ecology, and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the support of the Kazakhstani Association of Regional Environmental Initiatives (ECOJER).and technical support by UNEP-GO4SDGs and One Planet Network (10YFP)

The roadmap for eco-labelling in sustainable public procurement includes three key aspects:

i) improving national legislation and determining the competencies of authorized bodies,
ii) enhancing the institutional framework for environmental labelling, and
iii) promoting eco-labels

Kyrgyzstan Champions Green Finance:
Kyrgyzstan is making progress in implementing the National Roadmap on Sustainable Finance, which includes a specific chapter on facilitating access to green finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This initiative serves as a best practice for boosting the capacity of SMEs and promoting environmental responsibility.

Sustainable Tourism in Central Asia
Central Asia is also making progress in advancing sustainable tourism and environmental certification. GO4SDGs, in partnership with the Ministries of Environment and Tourism of Central Asia and the Caucasus, One Planet Network (10YFP), the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, and private sector companies such as Booking.com, Airbnb, we are building capacity for development of sustainable tourism standards in the region through trainings, workshop and awareness creating webinars.

Additionally, the work in Central Asia is targeted to reframe tourism to address plastic pollution and food waste. The activities we are undertaking specifically focus on strengthening the role of women in decision-making, advancing anti-single-use plastic legislation, promoting accession to the UNEP-led Global Tourism Plastics Initiative (GTPI), fostering south-south cooperation and partnerships, and advancing opportunities for green jobs in sustainable tourism.

Learn more at Green Policy Platform.

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