The Agricultural Complex’s conferences hall played host to a conference devoted to the sectoral agencies’ objectives in the context of the revised National Climate Change Strategy approved by the President of Turkmenistan.
Senior officials and specialists of the sector’s ministries and departments, representatives of the scientific community and a number of higher education institutions were among those attending the forum, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection.
As the conference participants highlighted, one of the top priorities of the policy consistently pursued by the President of Turkmenistan is achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Cultivating a pro-active attitude to tackling pressing issues of today, Turkmenistan was among the first states to integrate the SDGs into national plans and socio-economic programs.
In the past decades, climate change has become one of the most serious challenges facing humanity.This was vividly demonstrated by the UN Climate Change Summit recently held in New York.
Recognizing the complex character of the problem, our country pays close attention to environmental protection and nature conservation efforts, actively collaborating in this field with UN bodies and other international organizations.
The revised National Climate Change Strategy, approved by the head of state, was developed in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Marking a new stage in the ongoing large-scale work, the important document envisages employing systematic measures to strengthen economic, food, water and environmental security in the country.The national economy will be further modernized and diversified to meet these objectives with effective actions to be taken in all industries, first and foremost, in the oil and gas, energy, water, agricultural, transport, building, housing and public utility sectors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and at the same time to maintain high economic growth rates.
In particular, the measures are designed to boost energy efficiency and conservation, to ensure the sustainable use of energy and natural resources, to adopt innovative technologies, the latest scientific and technological developments, alternative energy sources, etc.
The conference attendees stated that Turkmenistan is now successfully implementing national projects that contribute to adapting the country’s economy to climate-related changes either directly or indirectly.Of particular note are the Altyn Asyr Turkmen Lake project in the Karakum Desert and the National Forest Program of Turkmenistan.
Modern green technologies are an essential component of building projects underway in the Avaza National Tourist Zone, a world-class resort destination on the Caspian coast.National Action Plans for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation are now in active preparation to ensure practical implementation of the within-said Strategy.
The efforts are being made by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection in close collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Economy, other sectoral ministries and agencies of Turkmenistan with the technical assistance of the United Nations Development Program and some other international organizations.
Closer cooperation with other countries, boasting the best climate change adaptation and mitigation practices, will play an instrumental role in all Strategy implementation phases.International organizations, such UNDP, UNEP, GEF, GIZ, the World Bank, and others will offer their experience and potential in this field.
Raising public awareness of climate change issues, their impacts on people’s lives, economy and the environment, and cultivating a sense of environmental responsibility in society to achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources (including energy, gas and water) are seen as equally important.
On the whole, the adoption of the revised National Climate Change Strategy serves as another vivid illustration of our country’s contribution to protecting the environment.