Almaty, February 8, 2010 – The World Bank Group has started the preparation of a new Environment Strategy expected to be completed by December 2010. To that end, broad external consultations are being held with key stakeholders across the world to help in the preparation of the strategy.
The consultation workshop for the Central Asia Region was held in Almaty in the World Bank office on February 4, 20010, targeting representatives from five Central Asia countries. The workshop included representatives of ministries of environment and finance, environment agencies, think tanks, and environmental NGOs from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.
During the consultations two breakout working groups gave their comments and recommendations on basic questions being considered in preparation of the Environment Strategy such as challenges and opportunities to achieving environmentally sustainable development, the role of the Bank in addressing these challenges and opportunities, the ways to achieve the balance between economic development and environmental sustainability and the others.
As a central mandate, the World Bank Group has an enduring commitment to ensure that its support to client countries leads to sustainable outcomes, that is, development results that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. The new Environment Strategy will articulate a set of principles and propose an approach for achieving the environmental sustainability of the World Bank Group’s portfolio.
The results of broad external consultations with key stakeholders across the world will be accumulated in the new World Bank Group Environment Strategy by the end of 2010.
