“A workshop on greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories was held from 27 February to 3 March 2023, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and brought together experts from Central Asian countries who are involved in the preparation of GHG inventories.

The event was delivered as part of the work programme of ICAT’s Regional Climate Action Transparency Hub in Central Asia, implemented by CAREC, with the support of GHGMI. The hub brings together the five Central Asian states: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. It supports technical experts and expert institutions in the region to establish sustainable and integrated measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) transparency frameworks. Following an assessment of gaps and needs and adoption of the work plan, the Hub commenced its implementation phase with an inaugural capacity-building workshop focusing on the first pillar of a robust climate MRV framework: GHG inventories.

The event used a hands-on training approach to carry out the practical exercises that are identified during the training. The training was delivered in Russian by the GHGMI Consortium lead and project director, Dr. Olia Glade. Seventeen experts and officials representing all Central Asian countries involved in the project attended. The workshop maximized in-person attendance, while also offering an option to join virtually for a few experts unable to attend in person.

For the first time, the training was conducted at a regional scale and in Russian, which significantly increased the availability of information on greenhouse gas inventory methods for a wider range of experts, bringing together countries with different experiences in reporting to the UN on climate change.

Dr. Olia Glade, Project Director

The main objective of the training was to strengthen the technical capacity of national experts in Central Asia to improve data collection and processing systems for the preparation of national GHG inventories. As a result of the training, it is expected that participants improve their knowledge in the collection and processing of data required for improved GHG inventory reporting and be able to apply tools and approaches to estimating GHG emissions using the 2006 IPCC methodology.

The 5-day regional workshop included the following technical components:

• Developing understanding of data acquisition and adaptation techniques and applying tools and templates for the most challenging inventory sectors and categories as identified during the gaps and needs analysis for Central Asia;
• Developing step-by-step instructions and check-lists for national GHG inventory compilers and experts for estimating non-CO2 GHG emissions from potential key categories – refrigeration and air conditioning and solid waste disposal;
• Applying 2006 IPCC methodologies to estimate hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) emissions from refrigeration and air-conditioning and solid waste disposal, which were the categories prioritized by the countries-participants.

The workshop also included the following capacity-building approaches:

• Facilitating peer-to-peer knowledge exchange on data management and associated institutional arrangements and tools utilized;
• Establishing a working expert group of Central Asian countries on GHG inventories to improve the exchange of experience and best practices in the Central Asia Region beyond the timeline of the workshop.

The training was designed to maximize engagement with the material and long-term effectiveness through pre- and post-workshop activities. Prior to the training, countries’ experts received subject-matter training on 2006 IPCC Guidelines for the prioritized categories from the GHGMI team in order to be as prepared as possible for the practical exercises during the face-to-face event. Participants also went home with additional assignments to complete within 2 months of the workshop. GHGMI Consortium will be providing support for those activities remotely.

The workshop was of great practical importance. It was well organized, especially in terms of the optimal number of participants and an intensive and logically structured program. The workshop also brought together specialists from the five countries in the region and provided an excellent platform to exchange knowledge and experience with other countries of the region, to discuss common problems, and identify common ways of working together to resolve complex issues related to greenhouse gas inventories.

Raisa Taryannikova, Senior Specialist, Climate Change Monitoring Unit, Uzhydromet, Uzbekistan

The training also provided a structure to match the needs of participants with different levels of expertise. For the more experienced experts, the training provided an opportunity to identify and fill the gaps in their understanding of the subject and in their reporting following increased requirements for transparency in the field of greenhouse gas inventories. For less experienced experts, the training helped to establish a basis for development of inventory work on the reported categories moving forward.

The next training component will be focused on GHG projections. The nominated experts will be invited to join the training session on projections 18-19 May 2023 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.”