Central Asia, home to ecologically important river and wetland systems, extensive grasslands, and high mountain ranges that support unique biodiversity, faces escalating pressures. The region is particularly vulnerable due to its arid nature, increasing demands for natural resources, unsustainable development, and changing climate patterns, which contribute to an estimated USD 6 billion in annual economic losses related to land degradation alone. In response, five Central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan – are supporting the development of the Central Asia Water-Land Nexus (CAWLN) programme.

While Bosnia and Herzegovina has successful examples of land degradation neutrality efforts, more aggressive action is needed to address the broader challenges.

The priorities should include harmonising land regulations across both entities and Brčko District, followed by the adoption of unified methodologies and the creation of reliable collection, storage and analysis capabilities. Only through an approach that ensures a uniform framework across all administrative units in Bosnia and Herzegovina can the issue of land protection be effectively addressed.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) this week held a two-day workshop for experts, representatives of universities and other partners from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Türkiye to teach them more about the approach and share best practices. As a platform for presenting achievements, sharing lessons learned and strengthening regional collaboration on the future of IPM, the workshop set the ambitious goal of encouraging long-term commitment to IPM strategies across the region.

A training course on strategic carbon accounting was held this week in Belgrade, Serbia to give experts and businesspersons practical tools to measure and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the agrifood sector. The training was convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) as part of a larger project on Developing Nationally-Determined Contributions (NDC) Roadmaps for Climate-Smart Agrifood Systems, that is helping  Serbia and Uzbekistan decarbonize agrifood systems, adapt to climate risks, and attract private sector investment.

Forests are critical to Armenia, in part for their importance in mitigating the effects of climate change. As highlighted by Aram Meymaryan, Deputy Minister of Environment of Armenia, at a 29 April meeting for a project to cultivate 5 000 ha of forest in the country, particularly in the northern Lori and southern Syunik regions. Funded primarily by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the project leverages resources and expertise from other actors, including the Government of Armenia, the Austrian Development Agency, the Autonomous Province of Bolzano (Italy), World Wildlife Fund for Nature Armenia, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Plants provide essential resources to life on Earth. Agrifood systems and food cultures in Europe and Central Asia are heavily dependent on plants – a dependence which relies on those plants being healthy and thriving. Protecting plant health under the holistic One Health approach can help countries of the region boost economic development, reduce rural poverty, support biodiversity, and improve nutrition. Therefore, this year’s International Day of Plant Health, celebrated globally on 12 May, focuses on plants as a critical pillar within One Health.

Montenegro, rich in forest resources, faces increasing climate-related challenges such as droughts, floods, and forest fires. The country has demonstrated its commitment to climate action through its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) (2025), targeting a total of 55 percent reduction in national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 from all sectors including the Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU). Despite the recognition of its importance in terms of vulnerability and contribution to emissions, data information gaps continue to exist, limiting the ability to design and implement targeted actions, specifically also for AFOLU sectors.

A group of municipality representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia visited Mafra, a Portuguese municipality, last week to learn more from its example on localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Mafra has shown a strong commitment in overall SDG implementation at the municipal level and in the development of a Voluntary Local Review (VLR), the internationally accepted process to review the implementation of SDGs at sub-national level.

Stakeholders from across Turkmenistan gathered in Ashgabat on 17 April 2025 for a consultation focused on accelerating the country's access to climate finance by identifying crucial climate-resilient technologies and boosting private-sector engagement in climate action. The consultation was part of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness project Improving the Capacity of Turkmenistan to Access Climate Finance through Capacity Building and Strategic Frameworks.

Strong, sustainable forest governance, underpinned by technical data, digital technologies, and institutional capacity are the necessary foundation to ensure the economic benefits of the forest sector to rural livelihoods and to mitigate climate change impacts. As part of the European Union and Sweden-funded programme to support sustainable and multipurpose forest management, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) conducted a targeted training to enhance the capacities of Kosovan officials for assessing and monitoring the economic aspects of the forestry sector.