News 18 Feb, 2026

IUCN Eastern Europe and Central Asia designated as official CBD Technical and Scientific Cooperation Support Centre for Central Asia

IUCN has formally signed a Host Agreement with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on 17 February in Rome, during the sixth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI-6), designating the IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECARO) as the official Subregional Technical and Scientific Cooperation (TSC) Support Centre for Central Asia.

Photo: the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

“The Technical and Scientific Cooperation Support Centre for Central Asia will operate as a demand-driven mechanism to facilitate technical and scientific cooperation, technology transfer and capacity development in support of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The Centre will connect countries with expertise, innovation, and targeted technical assistance to address priorities identified in their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans,” said Oliver Avramoski, Director of IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Hosted by IUCN ECARO in its Tashkent office in Uzbekistan, the new Centre will lead, coordinate and facilitate technical and scientific cooperation across Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan supporting implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Protocols, while advancing national priorities identified through National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) and other relevant policy frameworks.

CBD and IUCN ECARO

The Centre will function as a regional cooperation platform facilitating access to scientific knowledge, expertise, innovation and technology transfer. Its work will include mobilising resources to address countries’ technical needs, strengthening institutional and national capacities, facilitating partnerships and matchmaking among countries and organisations, and supporting development, implementation and monitoring of cooperation projects.

With this designation, IUCN continues to support implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity across the region, strengthening cooperation and capacity among countries to achieve the goals of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and contribute to global biodiversity recovery.

IUCN and CBD support countries to advance national action on biodiversity conservation under Target 3

CBD Technical and Scientific Cooperation Mechanism https://www.cbd.int/tsc/tscm

IUCN Eastern Europe and Central Asia www.iucn.org/ecaro