The conference, held under the auspices of the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of the Republic of Tajikistan, brought together policy makers, project developers, and experts from academic and research institutions of all five Central Asian states and Afghanistan, the United States, and the European Union, as well as representatives of small and medium enterprise in the renewable energy industry, and experts from international development and financial organizations. Participants discussed opportunities and challenges in the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency, and shared research breakthroughs, projects, and experiences in the use of small-scale renewable energy as an alternative means of addressing energy and food security in the region.

This was a particularly important and timely discussion as development of the regional renewable energy sector was recently designated as one of five priority issues of common concern within the C5+1 platform of the U.S.-Central Asia cooperation.

Building on the success of a previous regional conference in December 2015 (“Renewable Energy Technology Transfer and Sustainable Development in Central Asia,” co-organized by IGE and MSU in cooperation with the Department of International Relations at the al-Farabi Kazakh National University in Almaty, Kazakhstan), the Tajikistan conference also sought to deepen relationships among renewable energy experts and institutions, and contribute to cross-border regional cooperation.

This conference became one of the sustainable regional development programs conceived and launched within the framework of “The Heart of Asia: The Network of Scholars of South and Central Asia” project. The project promoted regional cooperation and sharing of knowledge and technologies between the “Heart of Asia” countries, supplementing two major government-led initiatives in the region: the “New Silk Road,” and the Istanbul Process on Regional Security.

For more information, please contact IGE’s Eurasia Program Officer Marina Barnett at mbarnett@globalengage.org.