News and press releases

On 6 and 7 November 2024, more than 50 regional stakeholders gathered in Peshkopi to discuss joint approaches to reducing illegal logging in the four protected areas of Korab-Koritnik, Mavrovo, Shar Mountain and Sharri/Šara. The meeting was organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), in co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania and the think tank adelphi.

Central Asia's high mountains are critical to the well-being of communities throughout the region and beyond. At the same time, the area is already facing significant climate-related security risks with impacts on the livelihoods of rural mountain and downstream communities that are dependent on agriculture, pastures, and forests. As these risks are shared across the region, they also provide entry points for co-operation to improve livelihoods, stability and resilience in the context of a changing climate.

Within the framework of the pilot initiative “Fire Resilient Protected Areas: Shar/Šara Mountains and Korab Massif Area”, the OSCE has donated fire suppression equipment to five park management authorities in the four protected areas of Korab-Koritnik, Mavrovo, Shar Mountain and Sharri/Šara during the period April-June 2024. The donation is part of OSCE initiatives to strengthen regional co-operation in tackling wildfire risks in the shared hotspot Shar/Šara Mountains and Korab Massif Area where forest fires were identified as one of the main climate-related security threats.

Addressing the significant challenges climate change poses to energy resilience, the OSCE, in collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory, hosted a webinar on 28 March focused on leveraging climate science for energy planning. The event, part of the " Mitigating Climate Change Threats to

Central Asia, with its untapped renewable energy potential, can make a major contribution to the green energy revolution. To meet this potential, Central Asian countries have prioritized the need to invest in an enabled workforce. Against this background, the OSCE has launched an E-learning course

To increase awareness and discuss regional co-operation on climate change and security, the OSCE gathered more than 40 representatives from its field operations to meet in Istanbul for a workshop on 13 and 14 December 2023. Emphasizing that the effects of climate change can exacerbate economic challenges and environmental degradation, which may negatively affect prosperity, stability and security in the OSCE area, the OSCE provides a platform for political dialogue on a wide range of issues associated with climate related security risks. These conversations form the basis for the implementation of activities on the ground.

Marking International Day for Disaster Reduction, the OSCE underlines the vital role of wildfire risk reduction, landscape fire management, and fire early warning in responding to the growing challenges posed by climate change.