On October 20, the first meeting of the Team Europe Initiative Working Group on Water, Energy and Climate Change involving Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan took place in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
“The water–energy–climate change nexus is at the heart of sustainable development in Central Asia. The European Union is proud to bring together EU Member States and European financial institutions under the Global Gateway – Team Europe Initiative to promote regional cooperation and concrete investments such as on Rogun. Achieving meaningful progress for our planet requires teamwork — no single actor can do this alone,” underlined H.E. Radosław Darski, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Tajikistan.
“This is the first Team Europe Initiative working group meeting with the participation of national partners. The meeting provides an important opportunity to discuss and coordinate planned activities in the areas of water, energy and climate change in Central Asia, as well as to design a joint work plan for 2026.,” noted Dr. Caroline Milow, project manager and head of the TEI technical Secretariat.
The Working Group meeting discussed current and future activities related to water, energy, and climate change in Central Asia, identified regionally accepted priorities and drafted a workplan to be jointly implemented in 2026. The meeting also served to lay the groundwork for the upcoming TEI Steering Committee Meeting, scheduled for 24 November 2025 in Tashkent which will endorse the work plan on deputy minister level.
The meeting was attended by authorised representatives appointed by each Central Asian country (representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Water, Energy and Environment), as well as by representatives of the European Union, the European Union Member States participating in the TEI and other international stakeholders.
