As a result of the 79th session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), held on May 15-19 in Bangkok, a Resolution initiated by Turkmenistan was unanimously adopted regarding the establishment of a special UN program for the Aral Sea basin.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, this is the first Resolution initiated by Turkmenistan within the framework of ESCAP, and the co-authors of the document were Azerbaijan, Armenia, China, Singapore, Türkiye and the Philippines.
The document includes the results of the Summit of the Heads of the founding states of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, held in the “Avaza” National Tourist Zone in the city of Turkmenbashi on August 24, 2018, as well as international consultations on the development of a special UN program for the Aral Sea basin.
The adoption of the ESCAP Resolution “Consideration of the conditions for the creation of a special United Nations program for the Aral Sea basin” is a major step towards the creation of a special mechanism that will be aimed at consistently resolving issues related to the Aral Sea issues within the UN, the source notes.