His main areas of professional expertise and activities are related to the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation and mitigation into national development plans and strategies. 

Prior to joining CAREC, Mr. Makhmudov served as the Head of the Project Implementation Unit at the Committee for Environment Protection under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, where he coordinated projects on natural resource management at all levels of their implementation, including project development, structuring, negotiation, execution and monitoring, carried out in close cooperation with a number of international development partners, donor community and multilateral development banks by providing access to climate and environmental funds supported by the National Coordinator. 

The portfolio of implemented projects included the PPCR project in Tajikistan “Environmental Land Management and Improving Livelihoods in Rural Areas” and the “Program for Adaptation to Climate Change and Mitigation of Its Consequences in the Aral Sea Basin”. 

Mr. Zafar Makhmudov also serves as the Senior Advisor to the Chairman of the Committee on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement of 2030. 

 As a member of the Board of the Climate Investment Fund and Co-chair of the Pilot Program Committee on Climate Resilience, he has advanced experience in managing and preparing the National Adaptation Plan, the National Adaptation Strategy for Climate Change, the National Environmental Plan and extensive experience in conducting negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and other climate funds.