On October 31 the XVI Central Asian Forum ‘Development of the Internet Sphere in Central Asia – InternetCA-2025’ took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Organized by the MediaNet International Centre for Journalism, the event brought together journalists and experts from across the region to discuss the importance of ensuring free and equal access to the Internet for everyone in Central Asia.
The forum’s central theme, ‘Free Internet for Free Societies: Ideas and Solutions’, focused on the following key topics:
– Regulation and protection of a free Internet in the region
– Freedom of expression in the digital age
– Propaganda and disinformation – risks and countermeasures
– Digital transparency and public accessibility of climate data
As part of the Green Central Asia initiative, Diego Pablo Pineda Schwarz presented the CLIMPACT project from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) at the ‘Digital Transparency and Accessibility of Climate Data for Society’ forum session.
In his presentation, Climate Impacts Online: A Climate Education Web Portal’, Diegopablo Pineda introduced ‘Climate Impacts Online (CIO)’ – an open-access platform that makes climate data more accessible for research, education, and the wider public. He emphasized that CIO serves as a practical example of how transparent and freely available climate data can enhance public understanding of climate change and support informed decision-making.
