Russia invests over $14 million in new projects for climate action and SDGs
On 28 December 2021 the Government of Russia and UNDP signed today two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), laying ground for increased cooperation in Europe and Central Asia.
With a contribution of $4 million, the project “Addressing Marine Litter and Marine Plastics – A Systemic Approach in the Caspian Sea” aims to improve the management of land-based sources of pollution that are likely to affect the marine environment of the Caspian Sea. The project will have both regional and national activities in Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. It will support the amendment of regulatory frameworks on waste management, the promotion of a circular economy, investments in waste management as well as raising awareness and strengthening sustainable consumption and productions patterns in order to change consumers’ behaviors.
The objective of the second MoU, with a $3 million contribution from Russia, is to scale-up the UNDP Climate Box initiative at the global level across four regions - Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America – while supporting cross-country exchanges. Launched in 2017, the Climate Change Box’s integrated curriculum is designed to teach children aged seven to 16 to lead climate-friendly lifestyles. It was initially developed by Russian experts and later adapted in other countries. To date, it has reached over 60,000 students in Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The project will also expand the curriculum with digital tools.
In addition to these 2 regional initiatives, Russia is also funding two new projects in Uzbekistan and in Belarus, bringing its December contribution to $14.1 million and its overall support to UNDP’s non-core budget to $151.5 million to date.
All four projects are due to start in early 2022.