Third Meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Technical Working Group

on NDC Enhancement
Brief Report

BACKGROUND

In 2017, the Republic of Tajikistan submitted its First NDC, reflecting a flexible target, not exceeding
80-90% of the 1990 level by 2030, which amounts to 1.7-2.2 tons in CO2 equivalent per capita.
As required by the Paris Agreement, countries should follow five-year cycles to increase ambition;
particularly, 2020 represents a crucial milestone to achieve the overall objective of the Convention
and the Paris Agreement. In this sense, according to Decision 1/CP.21 on the Adoption of the Paris
Agreement, Countries with an NDC time frame ending up to 2025 are requested to communicate new
ones by 2020, and those countries whose NDCs have a time frame ending up to 2030, in turn, are
requested to communicate or update their NDCs by 2020.
According to the guidance provided in the aforementioned decisions, the process of developing new
or updating existing NDCs is referred to as “NDC enhancement”. In this sense, considering that the
Republic of Tajikistan submitted a first NDC reflecting a timeframe until 2030, the NDC
enhancement process will look into updating the NDC submitted to the UNFCCC in 2017.
In this framework, the Committee on Environmental Protection as Focal Point to the United Nations
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), following Article 6 of the Convention, and recognizing
the importance of education, training, public awareness, public participation, and public access to
information concerning climate change and international cooperation on those matters for achieving
the ultimate objective of the Convention, organized on December 22, 2020 a session to inform, raise
awareness, enhance local capacity and knowledge about the NDC enhancement process. The Updated
NDC, which submission is anticipated in early 2021, must comply with the technical specifications for the
Mitigation and Adaptation components as stipulated in decisions 4 and 9 of the first CMA.

In this context, the NDC Partnership, through the Climate Action Enhancement Package (CAEP)
provides technical and financial support to countries to enhance the quality and increase the
ambition of their contributions to the Paris Agreement. The CAEP assists developing countries,
member of the NDC Partnership, in achieving two overarching objectives:

• Objective 1: Enhance NDCs, including by raising ambition, as part of the Paris

Agreement’s NDC update process;
• Objective 2: Fast-track implementation of NDCs, including by providing in-country
technical expertise and capacity building.
Under the framework of the CAEP, coordination during the NDC enhancement process is led by the
Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), serving as coordinating partner for this process.
Additionally, under the NDC Partnership CAEP, support partners have agreed to provide support for
the implementation of sector-specific activities leading to an improved understanding of the
emissions reduction potential and adaptation options in the different sectors that will be used as inputs
for the development of the NDC enhanced document.

The Third Meeting of the Inter-ministerial Technical Working Group

The objective of the Third meeting of the Inter-ministerial Technical Working Group on NDC
enhancement was to raise awareness, enhance capacity and knowledge about NDC enhancement
process; facilitate peer-to-peer learning and capacity building of the Technical Working Group on
their experiences on implementing NDCs and sharing these experiences with other participants. The
meeting also focused on creating a platform for fruitful discussions and providing recommendations
and suggestions that can support further actions in the path to submitting the updated NDC document
to the Secretariat of the UNCCC.

The Third Meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Technical Working Group brought together Government
institutions, members of the Working Group, that are actively part of Tajikistan’s Climate Action.

The meeting followed three main sessions, covering topics related to technical considerations and
progress achieved in the implementation of Tajikistan’s First NDC as well as the forward-looking
preparation of the enhanced NDC document. The following paragraphs provide detailed information
on the discussions.
Welcoming words:

❖ Mr. Dilovarsho Dustzoda – Head of Hydrometeorology, opened the session, stressing

Tajikistan’s flexible target of not exceeding 80-90 percent of greenhouse gas emissions of the
1990 level by 2030, as communicated in the country’s First NDC, and the importance of
relevant Ministries in increasing the climate change ambition, as well as asking the
participants to make their contributions to the NDC enhancement process by sharing their
views and suggestions on improving the NDC document. He also mentioned that the
methodology and guidance on the implementation of NDC in Tajikistan had been distributed
among the participants for them to get acquainted with the NDC enhancement process prior
to the event.

❖ Mr. Oleg Guchgeldiyev - Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations in Tajikistan, delivered welcoming speech stressing that agriculture is the
second largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. He noted that though Tajikistan’s
impact on global emissions is small, yet it is among the most vulnerable countries strongly
impacted by the effects of climate change. He also mentioned the key role communicating
NDCs plays in meeting the requirements of the Paris Agreement.

The meeting was moderated by Mr. Daler Domullodzhanov, FAO’s National Technical Officer,
Land and Water, who guided participants throughout the sections of the event and facilitated the
discussions.
Session 1: The Paris Agreement and Tajikistan’s initial NDC:

❖ Mr. Muzzafar Shodmonov – FAO’s Climate Change Specialist, delivered a presentation

on National Commitments under the UNFCCC, setting the ground for participants to
clearly understand the NDC enhancement process in this overarching framework. In this
context, Mr. Shodmonov’s presentation aimed at taking stock of key government
programs, strategies, concepts, action plans, laws and regulations, as well as implemented
projects on climate change contributing to the progress of NDC implementation in
Tajikistan. He mentioned that the country had already submitted three National
Communications and that the fourth one is currently under way. He highlighted the
UNFCCC Paris Agreement aim at keeping the global average temperature rise well below
2 °C and making efforts to limit temperature increases above 1.5 °C.
Lastly, this opening presentation also included information on current GHG emissions in
different key economic sectors at national level and their probable forecasts for the
upcoming years as a way to facilitate the discussions the institutions participating in the
IMTWG are carrying out with different international partners under the CAEP.

Session 2: NDC Enhancement process: Tajikistan’s ambition towards 2030

❖ Mr. Daler Domullodzhanov, FAO’s Land and Water Officer and National Coordinator,
made a presentation on the NDC enhancement process, providing a brief background
information on the process, mission and technical assistance provided by CAEP. He noted
that the CAEP-provided support consisted of two parts: increasing the ambition, and
implementing nationally determined contributions, as part of the update process, also
ensuring national capacities are enhanced.
Mr. Domullodzhanov highlighted the role of the CEP as the responsible agency facilitating
the NDC enhancement process and overall coordination between ministries/agencies, with
the technical support of FAO as coordinating partner under the CAEP. He also explained
the role and technical scope of the support being provided by the five implementing
partners, including the European Union (EU), the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), GIZ, the World Bank (WB) and FAO in the NDC enhancement
process, mentioning the importance of drawing up the road maps for implementing the
NDC action plans. It was also noted that it is planned that in January 2021, the FAO will
submit a report on NDC enhancement process to the CEP, which will in turn submit it to
the UNFCCC in March 2021.

❖ Mr. Anvar Khomidov – FAO’s Climate Change Consultant, delivered a presentation on

national contribution to mitigation in the developed NDC. He gave a brief overview of the
key government strategies, action plans and laws, including National Development
Strategy 2030, Med-Term Development Program 2016 – 2020 and National Climate
Change Adaptation Strategy 2030. These documents are in particular looking into reducing
gas emissions through industrialization, rational use of natural resources, energy and food
security, modernization of transportation and etc.
 He also provided detailed information on the country action plans and programmes in the
agriculture, forestry, water and energy, industry, transport, housing and utilities and waste
sectors, as key contributors to climate change.

❖ Saidov Firuz, FAO’s Climate Change Consultant, delivered a presentation on National

contribution to adaptation in the developed and updated version of NDC. Highlighting the
variety of climate change adaptation programs, being implemented at national level (such
as the National Adaptation Strategy) and in key economic sectors, which represent a crucial
priority for the country. He also provided an overview of key risks and challenges,
financial sources, as well as financial contributions received by each of these sectors from
international and national donors, highlighting energy and transport as the sectors more
benefited from climate financing.

❖ Yvette Zenina, FAO’s Natural Resources Officer, delivered a presentation on Enhanced

Transparency Framework expanding on the future reporting expectations from countries
signatories of the Paris Agreement, as well as development of a transparent structure for
delivering information on climate change progress. She noted that starting from 2024 apart
from National Communications, countries would be obliged to submit their progress
Biannual transparency Reports (BTRs) including elements on adaptation and mitigation
and demonstrated how the newly accepted calendar and timing of the reporting process is
designed. Tajikistan’s first BTR, mainly consisting of information on adaptation and
mitigation progress, received financial and technical support and etc. is expected to be
submitted by 2024.

❖ Zulfiya Bakhtibekova, FAO Gender Consultant, made a presentation on Cross-cutting

issues: Gender, Youth and Children. During her presentation she highlighted Government
strategies, documents and programs taking into consideration the above-mentioned issues
with regard to climate change. She explained in detail how the climate change affects men
and women, children and youth differently, particularly depending on their roles,
knowledge, capacity and pre-existing vulnerabilities. Highlighting the gender progress in
Tajikistan, she also mentioned the challenges the vulnerable groups still face and have to
tackle in the country and therefore the importance of taking into consideration these issues
while developing various country programs and strategies.

Questions and Answers Session

During the event, comments and questions were received from the audience present in the Hilton
Hotel in Dushanbe. Many representatives of Ministries and Agencies asked questions, gave advice
and made comments on the implementation of the NDC process. During the discussion, the
following issues were raised:
 ❖ Salimzoda from Land Management and Geodesy mentioned that it is mostly women
that work in the fields in Tajikistan and that the country has all the necessary laws and
regulations providing them with the due rights in performing legally these duties;
however, not all women make a good use of them. According to him they had even
offered women to take leading positions in the farms, role which they have refused to
accept due to bureaucratic reasons. He also raised the issue of appropriate use of land for
agricultural and grazing purposes, as well as inappropriate use of plastic bottles for
burning purposes.

❖ Ohistamo Vafobek, journalist from governmental newspaper of Jumhuriyat,

thanking the specialists for the informative reports, recommended giving more details
about the activities being performed by FAO in such key sectors as transport, energy,
agriculture, biodiversity, etc., as well as the governmental authorities to mention more
details on the challenges they face while implementing climate change-related
programmes. She asked FAO to pay more attention to biodiversity, which is as important
as the energy sector.

❖ Daler Domlodzhanov, clarified that the role of FAO - mainly consists of assisting the
government in implementing its Paris Agreement obligations, as well as attracting
investment for the development of key sectors.

❖ Bahodur Rahmonov, Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred to plenty of climate change-

related events being conducted globally, as well as key financial contributors to climate
change adaption and mitigation. He recommended enhancing the country’s ambitions
via development of bioenergy, forestry, electro-transportation, ecotourism and
contributing money to these sectors. He also recommended the Committee joining the
Global Green Growth Institute located in Korea.

❖ Saidzoda, Forestry, recommended separating farming and land management from cattle
and biodiversity sector and asked for the permission, as well as recommended including
livestock gas emissions into the updated NDC document too.

❖ Anvar Homidov, FAO expert, explained further the key role of transparency and
monitoring plays in NDC enhancement process.

Closing remarks

The meeting was closed by Mr. Daler Domullodzhanov, Land and Water Officer and National
Coordinator, FAO. He thanked participants for their active involvement in the discussions and
informed that other meetings of the Technical Working Group will be convened in the coming
weeks, under the NDC enhancement process.

The Report of the Third Meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Technical Working Group on NDC Enhancement was
compiled by:
• Karimjon Abdualimov – National Facilitator Consultant
• Iftikhor Karimov – National Communication Assistant
• Firuza Ghulomaseinova- National Communications Specialist