WHEN: 9-10 April 2026 I TIME: 9:00 - 19:00 (Tashkent Time) I VENUE: Panarams Tashkent Hotel, Tashkent, Uzbekistan I by invitation only event
Background:
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in circular economy among governments in Central Asia. There is increasing acknowledgement of the vision of circular economy where the value of products, materials and resources is maintained in the economy for as long as possible, notably by focusing on waste reduction, resource efficiency, and designing systems that keep products and materials in use.
The circular economy is a key pillar of the European Green Deal, EU’s strategy to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, and the Global Gateway, EU’s positive offer to accelerate sustainable investments in partner countries in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainable consumption and production, along with the transition to a circular economy, are integral to Global Gateway’s focus on sustainable infrastructure for climate action, green transition and support to sustainable value chains. By fostering policy dialogue, knowledge exchange, and legislative engagement, SWITCH-Asia connects Central Asia with the Global Gateway and supports its transition toward circular value chains - enhancing regional sustainability, economic resilience, and alignment with international and EU policies.
The Regional Dialogue on Circular Economy of the Central Asia Parliamentarian Platform was designed to create conditions for further strengthening cooperation on the implementation of circular economy principles in the region and thereby nationally. Two successful regional dialogues have been convened so far. Both dialogues achieved significant results by bringing together parliamentarians from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as representatives of governments, the European Union, CAREC, the business community, expert organisations and specialists from the SWITCH-Asia Programme.
The first dialogue, held in Bishkek in May 2025, contributed to developing a shared understanding of circular economy (CE) and sustainable consumption and production (SCP) concepts. The second event, held in October 2025 in Almaty, focused on “Strengthening Policy Ambitions in Sustainable Consumption and Production and Circular Economy.” The Parliamentarians also made valuable contributions to the development of the Central Asia Circular Economy Partnership Framework during the second dialogue.
Building on this momentum, the Third Regional Dialogue will focus on practical application of circular economy principles through business engagement, investment and innovation. This dialogue will further explore how government push complemented with private sector and academic collaboration on innovation can help steer countries to high-value sectors and quality of life. It will also address critical issues of finance for circular economy undertaken both by public and private sectors. In addition to in-room discussion and speeches, the event will include a field visit in Tashkent that demonstrates practices of circular economy principles, offering participants a practical example of circularity in action. The Third Regional Dialogue will make a significant contribution to preparations for the 2026 Regional Environmental Summit in Kazakhstan. Discussions in Tashkent will form the basis for further development of the Central Asia Circular Economy Partnership Framework, the official presentation of which is planned for the 2026 summit. This creates a direct link between ongoing parliamentary engagement and long-term regional environmental governance.
Invited participants:
EU INTPA HQ, EU Delegations in Central Asia, SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component (PSC), Members of the Parliament (MPs), SWITCH-Asia National Focal Points (NFPs) in Central Asia, other representatives of governments in the Central Asian region, Partners and stakeholders of the SWITCH-Asia Technical Advisories, relevant international organisations and projects, representatives of CAREC.
Objectives:
- Promote and Enhance Regional Cooperation: Facilitate knowledge exchange and discussions on regional challenges and opportunities for adopting circular economy practices in Central Asia.
- Strengthen Parliamentary Engagement: Equip parliamentarians with the tools and knowledge needed to advocate for and legislate CE policies in their respective countries.
- Develop Actionable Policy Recommendations: Provide a platform to discuss policy recommendations, legislative reforms, and national action plans for integrating CE into key sectors.
- Facilitate Cross-issue Discussions: Venture into finance and innovation cross-linkages with circular economy, and identify how each could be exploited to expand the size of the circular economy.
- Facilitate Engagement between Policy Makers and Businesses: Engage businesses and communities in showcasing circular solutions to MPs, strengthening mutual understanding and fostering collaboration for effective CE policies and investments.
Tentative Agenda
|
9 April 2026 |
||
|
Time |
Session |
Speakers |
|
8:30 AM |
Registration |
|
|
9:00 – 9:45 |
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Overview of the Dialogue's Goals: Review the objectives of the regional dialogue, including promoting Circular Economy (CE) principles and practices, fostering regional cooperation, and strengthening parliamentary engagement.
Keynote Address: Parliamentary Leadership for a Circular Future
|
|
|
9:45 – 11:00 |
Session 1: National Progress on Circular Economy in Central Asia
Introduction to the Session
Facilitated Panel of Parliamentarians (10 mins each) |
|
|
11:00 – 11:30 |
Break and Group Photo |
|
|
11:30 – 12:45 |
Session 2: Business & Project Showcases
Spotlight Cases (5–7 mins each): 1. CE Enterprise from Uzbekistan (e.g., recycling, remanufacturing, agrifood waste valorization). 2. Waste-to-Value Project in Kazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan 3. SME Network Aggregation Model (regional)
Interactive Q&A with Parliamentarians
|
|
|
12:45-13:00 |
Field Visit: Briefing Briefing for the Members of Parliament on the site visit and sessions during the event
|
|
|
13:00 – 14:00 |
Lunch |
|
|
14:00 – 17:30 |
Field Visit: Circular Economy in Action Guided visit to a leading CE enterprise/practice in Tashkent. On-site presentations and exchanges with management, staff, and stakeholders. |
All participants |
|
19:00 |
Welcome Reception and Networking Dinner
|
All participants Venue TBC |
|
10 April 2026 |
||
|
Time |
Session |
Speakers |
|
09:00 – 09:30 |
Debriefing Session on the site visit |
|
|
09:30 – 10:00 |
Opening Framing: Circular Economy and Investment in Central Asia Objective: Opening framing to situate the investment discussion within the emerging Central Asia Partnership Framework on Circular Economy, explain CE investments and situate MPs as actors |
SWITCH-Asia |
|
10:00 – 11:00 |
Session 3: Legislative & Regulatory Levers to Unlock CE Finance Objective: Orient lawmakers on what policy tools and regulatory frameworks drive finance — drawing on global evidence and practical legislative levers.
Interactive panel discussion and questions from the Parliamentarians
Key priorities from “Unlocking Circular Economy Financing: From Vision to Action” — what governments and regulators can do to embed circularity in financial systems, and how laws influence capital flows.
Current financial system in Uzbekistan — prospects to integrate circular economy criteria into national sustainable finance frameworks including green taxonomy, tax incentives, credit guarantees, and public procurement reforms.
EU legislative experience shaping CE finance (e.g., green taxonomy, sustainable finance strategies) and relevance for Central Asia. Role of stability and governance in regulatory systems.
National legislative changes that attracted finance for resource-efficient sectors (e.g., waste valorisation, recycling, GPP, EPR).
|
Speakers To be Confirmed (TBC)
Representative from UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI)
Uzbekistan Ministry of Finance / Central Bank Expert (TBC) / AFD
EU Parliamentarian (CE/Sustainable Finance Champion)
Regional Parliamentarian with CE experience (e.g., Kazakhstan) |
|
11:00 – 11:30 |
Break |
|
|
11:30 - 12:30
|
Session 4: DFIs, MDBs & Financial Tools for Circular Economy Projects and Innovations Objective: Showcase investment instruments, risk mitigation tools, and concrete opportunities from the finance sector that parliamentarians should consider enabling.
Interactive panel discussion and questions from the Parliamentarians
CE and sustainable investment vehicles: green bonds, blended finance, guarantees that derisk CE infrastructure investment.
IFC’s Harmonized Circular Economy Finance Guidelines and how they help financial institutions and investors define, evaluate, and scale CE projects.
Regional finance frameworks supporting circularity (e.g., SMEs, resource efficiency in industry).
Demand-side perspective — what banks/impact funds need to finance CE ventures and how policy certainty helps.
|
Speakers To be Confirmed (TBC)
European Investment Bank (EIB / EIB Global)
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Asian Development Bank (ADB) / Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) representative
Regional Bank or Impact Investment Fund (e.g., Central Asian commercial bank sustainable finance lead)
Qasaqstan Investments Corporation/ KfW DEG |
|
12:30 – 13:30 |
Lunch |
|
|
13:30 - 15:00 |
Session 5: Parliamentary Action Lab (40–50 mins) Objective: Parliamentary Policy Priorities for Circular Economy InvestmentFormat:
Roundtable breakout discussions (groups by country) — Parliamentarians identify 2–3 priority legislation or policy actions to improve CE financing frameworks (e.g., revise tax incentives, introduce CE taxonomy, CE incentives, legislate risk guarantees, GPP reform, EPR legislation, regulate secondary material markets, innovation support scheme for SMEs).
Outcome: Each group presents a short action list of priorities for the country and potential areas for regional actions/alignment which moderators synthesise into a central Action Agenda for the region. |
All participants |
|
15:00 – 16:30 |
Closed-door Meeting of Parliamentarians (By Invitation)
Tea / Coffee included in this session |
|
|
16:30 – 17:00 |
Session 6: Closing Session - Key takeaways - Vote of thanks
Departures |
All participants |
