LocationsUNDP and partners held a workshop on water diplomacy to strengthen national capacity to participate in regional cooperation
December 16, 2022
UNDP and partners held a workshop on water diplomacy to strengthen national capacity to participate in regional cooperation
Dashoguz, 15 December 2022: UNDP in Turkmenistan, together with the Turkmen Agricultural Institute and project partners, organized a National Workshop on Water Diplomacy within the Project “Conservation and Sustainable Management of Land Resources and Natural Ecosystems in the Aral Sea Basin”, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by UNDP and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan.
“Water diplomacy is an important tool for ensuring effective and sustainable management of shared water resources, ensuring a balance of interests of all states and strengthening cooperation between the countries of the region,” - noted Mr. Farhat Orunov, Programme Analyst of the UNDP Environmental Portfolio in Turkmenistan.
The seminar brought together representatives of ministries and entities of Turkmenistan, as well as non-governmental and regional organizations involved in the process of cooperation between Central Asian countries on water and environmental issues, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, the State Committee for Water Resources, the Khyakimliks of the Dashoguz velayat , S. Turkmenbashi and Ruhybelent etraps, the Turkmen Agricultural Institute, the Kaplankyr State Nature Reserve, the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan, the Dashoguz branch of the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS), the Scientific and Information Center of the Interstate Commission for Sustainable Development, the Nature Protection Society of Turkmenistan and the NGOs "Ynanch Vepa", "Eco-durmush" and "Yash shohle".
During the seminar, participants shared their experience in the development of transboundary water cooperation between Turkmenistan and other countries of the Aral Sea basin, including the current state of the IFAS reform, the impact of climate change on the water resources of the region, gender and youth aspects of water diplomacy, the participation of Turkmen specialists in various regional platforms, as well as learned about the strategy of interaction with partners, stakeholders and beneficiaries within the framework of the project.
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The $4.6 million project “Conservation and Sustainable Management of Land Resources and Natural Ecosystems in the Aral Sea Basin”, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), aims to promote a land degradation neutrality and initial investments in participatory, integrated land use planning to restore and improve the use of land and water resources, taking into account key biodiversity habitats to secure critical ecosystem services. In addition, the project will address the drivers of biodiversity degradation, to strengthen the protection of globally important biodiversity, habitats, and species, through the expansion of the protected area system and strengthening of their management effectiveness. As result, the project will increase the resilience of the local population and preserve globally significant ecosystems in the zone of influence of the Aral Sea crisis in the Lebap and Dashoguz pilot velayats. The project will also support international knowledge sharing and engagement of Turkmenistan in the Aral Sea Basin management to ensure wider synergies and regional cooperation.
