I am delighted to be back in Astana this week. At the kind invitation of President Tokayev, I’m pleased to be joining leaders from across the region to discuss challenges that are critical to the people of Central Asia. Central Asia is rich in potential. But the region also faces formidable challenges driven by changing weather patterns.
Since 1950, the region’s glaciers have retreated dramatically. Further loss is inevitable. This has implications for core drivers of stability and growth – water, energy and food systems. The livelihoods – indeed lives – of millions depend on states coming together to tackle this challenge.
When land and water resources come under strain,when extreme weather events intensify, and when ecosystems change, these pressures can affect relations between states and within societies. We face a collective security threat. This is not just an epochal environmental challenge.
How can we adapt to climate change, one of the greatest security threats of our time? And how, in so adapting, can countries best serve their citizens, ensuring that communities grow and prosper? So I welcome this week’s Regional Ecological Summit hosted by President Tokayev.
He is bringing leaders from across, and beyond, the region, together. Our task is to take stock, align priorities and forge a joint approach to a shared security challenge. As the world’s largest regional security organization bringing together 57 participating States, the OSCE can play a unique role.
Since 1992, all five of the states of Central Asia have been part of the Organization. Their arrival marked a momentous affirmation of their independence. For over three decades, Kazakhstan has played a critical role in shaping the Organization. Astana hosted a landmark OSCE Summit in 2010.
The Summit Declaration reaffirmed a shared vision of security-basedco-operation and mutual respect for all participating States. These ideas remain as essential today as together we build resilience in the face of climate change. The OSCE takes a unique, three-pronged approach; we call it ‘the comprehensive approach’.
Firstly, we work with governments on security issues, including arms control and risk reduction. Secondly, we develop economic and environmental co-operation between participating States, because we recognise that trade and competition can be both beneficial and lead to tension.
And thirdly we emphasise the importance of human rights and how states treat their citizens. No other regional security organisation in the world takes such a comprehensive approach. We also have officials and experts on the ground to deliver these goals, working hand in hand with host governments and civil society.
I commend the comprehensive work across all three dimensions of security of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana and our other field operations in Central Asia. This field presence is one of the OSCE’s unique strengths, enabling tailored support to our hosts. For example, through the OSCE Vienna Document we ensure that participating States can come together to reduce military risk and enhance transparency.