Advancing Decarbonisation of Transport in Central Asia
The Institute of Public Policy and Administration (IPPA), a unit of the University of Central Asia’s (UCA) Graduate School of Development (GSD), in collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), recently hosted the second SIPA Summer School on the Decarbonisation of Transport in Central Asia at the OECD Centre in Istanbul, Turkey. The event brought together experts, policymakers, and stakeholders from UCA’s Founding States as well as from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Mongolia. Other co-organisers of the event included the International Transport Forum (ITF) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).
The Summer School initiated an in-depth exploration into the decarbonisation of the transport sector across Central Asia. The IPPA presented key findings from its study on sustainable transport infrastructure initiatives undertaken by the participating countries. This research aims at guiding Central and Southeast Asian countries to align their energy, transport, and industrial infrastructure investments in line with the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals on low-emission development pathways.
In addition, IPPA, in collaboration with the IISD, conducted training on cost-benefit analysis using the SAVi (Sustainable Asset Valuation) tool for evaluating transport infrastructure programmes in Central Asia.
The participants reflected on their learnings, with Aslan Jarmukhanov from Kazakhstan noting, “The module on assessing projects from the perspective of environmental friendliness and social issues proved particularly valuable.” Similarly, Tolkunay Taalaibekova from Kyrgyzstan shared, “I never thought that systems analysis is used in the transport sector. It was a great experience, which made us think that every decision we make affects climate change around the world.”
SIPA Summer School serves as a platform for cross-border cooperation, knowledge exchange, and fostering sustainable solutions for the decarbonisation of the transport sector as the region's stakeholders continue to collaborate towards a greener and more sustainable future.
Further information and materials from the Summer School can be accessed at www.sipa-centralasia.org.
