The Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action endorsed by over 150 countries at UNFCCC-COP28 highlights global recognition of the unprecedented adverse climate impacts on food systems resilience and the need to expedite the integration of agriculture and food systems into climate action. While integration is necessary to ensure favorable sectoral level climate action outcomes, there are currently no concrete frameworks and case studies showcasing how to support this integration process at the country level. A recent study focused on Tajikistan uses a conceptual framework to undertake such an integration analysis of key national level climate change related and agriculture policy documents. It identifies synergies and existing gaps and provides recommendations on strengthening sectoral integration to achieve climate change goals. This study was funded by the USAID mission in Tajikistan and USAID’s Comprehensive Action for Climate Change Initiative (CACCI)-Asia under their support to the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) of Tajikistan toward the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) through technical support from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

Central Asia is highly vulnerable to climate change threats, which have negatively impacted both humans and wildlife. Tajikistan, one of the least urbanized countries in the region, is prone to natural disasters, disruptions in rainfall, growing temperatures, reductions in glacial cover, and extreme weather events (Zoï Environment Network 2020; Green Climate Fund [GCF] 2020). The Government of the Republic of Tajikistan acknowledges the problems and risks posed by climate change and is working toward ad dressing them to meet the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) focused on climate change and environmental concerns. One critical step in this direction is the submission of its updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in 2021, which states the country’s proposed efforts to support sustainable and efficient development, taking into consideration climate change, environmental, and socioeconomic challenges for the period 2020–2030 (Government of the Republic of Tajikistan 2021). Weak institutional capacity and lack of efficient vertical and horizontal coordination between multiple stakeholders could undermine the possibility of undertaking integrated climate change actions, how ever. Thus, given the interconnected and multistakeholder nature of climate change issues, the first step is to identify all relevant stakeholders. This effort must be accompanied by an understanding of how the country’s multisectoral climate change issues are being addressed through the policy system and national and regional institutions and how development partners support these efforts (Clar and Steurer 2019). In this paper, we map institutions, stakeholders, and relevant policies that support NDC implementation in Tajikistan and understand their specific roles and responsibilities and related interlinkages. The key impact objective of this paper is to create a knowledge product that helps strengthen vertical and horizontal coordination between institutions working on climate change issues in Tajikistan.

At COP28 countries recognized that unprecedented adverse climate impacts are increasingly threatening the resilience of agriculture and food systems and ability to produce and access food in the prevailing scenario of mounting hunger, malnutrition, and economic stresses. As a result, over 150 countries have signed the Declaration On Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Sys tems, And Climate Action committing to expedite the integration of agriculture and food systems into climate action and, simultaneously, to mainstream climate action across our policy agendas and actions related to agriculture and food systems (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 2023). Currently, there is no concrete framework and approach available at the country level on how to support this integration process. Thus, in this paper, we are proposing a conceptual framework to undertake such an integration analysis of key national level climate change related and agri culture policy documents. Using Tajikistan as a case study, we identify synergies and existing gaps and provide recommendations on strengthening sectoral integration to achieve climate change goals. In the year 2022, 55 percent (402 million) of the people in the world affected by hunger, were living in Asia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people who could not afford a healthy diet increased globally, and significantly in Asia. Unemployment, high incidence of climate shocks, poverty, income inequality, food price inflation, and the decline in foreign currency re serves have engendered the lack of affordability healthy diet (Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) et al 2023).

The Government of Tajikistan should consider joining the Global Methane Commitment as a strategic and prudent decision. Tajikistan's participation in the Global Methane Pledge offers numerous benefits that can positively impact the country's economy, environment, and global reputation. By joining this international effort to reduce methane emissions, Tajikistan can contribute to global climate change mitigation goals, demonstrating its commitment to addressing environmental challenges. This commitment becomes particularly significant for Tajikistan's agrarian economy, where sustainable livestock management practices can help reduce methane emissions from enteric fermentation, enhancing both environmental sustainability and agricultural efficiency. Additionally, the pledge emphasizes improved waste management and methane capture from solid waste sites, aligning with Tajikistan's green energy objectives, carbon market participation, revenue generation, and attracting international investments. Importantly, joining the Global Methane Pledge involves no legal obligations or penalties, offering Tajikistan a flexible and supportive framework for collaboration, knowledge sharing, funding access, and effective methane reduction measures implementation. Targeting main sources of methane emissions provides an opportunity to implement cost effective measures that yield multiple benefits, including improved air quality, reduced health risks from air pollution, enhanced energy efficiency, increased energy security, and the development of sustainable technologies and industries that foster economic growth and job creation. It is recommended that comprehensive studies be undertaken within each of the sub-sectors such as agriculture, energy, waste management and wastewater management. These studies will not only provide valuable insights to inform effective interventions, but also provide a basis for future re search and data-driven decision-making. It is also important to highlight that some measures can lead to cost avoidance in the long run. By focusing on mitigating methane emissions, Tajikistan can actively contribute to global climate change mitigation while reaping numerous positive out comes for its environment, public health, and economy. To determine the effects of measures, effective measurement is needed. Tajikistan has been improving the management and use of statistical data in recent decades as its Agency for Statistics under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan (TajStat) works closely with regional and international partners to improve data quality and reporting. However, the agency needs additional human and financial resources to support the collection of climate data and the development of indicators to monitor progress and to support sound policy decisions.