Today, UNDP and the British Embassy in Turkmenistan in a hybrid format convened the Development Partners Climate Group Coordination meeting aimed at continuing the established dialogue to support the Government of Turkmenistan in implementing projects and international commitments related to the environment and climate change.

The meeting served as a forum on providing an update on the climate change agenda as well as exchanging information on current initiatives and the next steps to support Turkmenistan’s efforts on tackling climate change and reducing GHG emissions in accordance with its commitments under the Paris Agreement on climate change.

“We are glad to say that the Meeting of development partners on climate change issues has already become a nice tradition to gather and exchange information on current initiatives and discuss opportunities to join efforts in supporting the country on its commitments under various international agreements” – said Ms. Narine Sahakyan, UNDP Resident Representative in Turkmenistan. “Tackling the climate crisis requires all parties to make bold pledges under the Paris Agreement on climate. UNDP Turkmenistan is now scaling up its support for Turkmenistan to turn its newly adopted NDC targets into concrete action. We will bring together our resources, knowledge, experience and networks to provide comprehensive support for raising the ambition of the national climate pledge.”

“At COP26, countries seized the opportunity to act. We showed leadership, worked together and embraced progress to agree the historic Glasgow Climate Pact, which kept the goal of global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees alive,” – said Ms. Lucia Wilde, Ambassador of the UK in Turkmenistan. “Despite this progress, six months on from COP26 our aim to keep 1.5 degrees alive remains fragile. We must accelerate delivery, turning targets and commitments into action by phasing down coal and ending inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, as well as revisiting our 2030 emissions reductions targets before COP27 and strengthen them with workable plans if they do not align with the temperature goals set out in the Paris Agreement. We must turn the promises and commitments of the Glasgow Climate Pact into action. Let us now pick up the pace on delivering a net zero, climate-resilient transition ahead of COP27 in Egypt this November”.

“The climate summit in Glasgow last November confirmed the seriousness of states to present their renewed commitments to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, to direct more investment in both mitigation and adaptation to climate change,” – said Mr. Dmitry Shlapachenko, UN Resident coordinator in Turkmenistan during the meeting. “At the same time, there is a common understanding that it is necessary to strengthen international and regional cooperation, including in the area of scientific research, climate technologies and the harmonization of approaches to natural resource management, in order to prevent the climate crisis”.

During the meeting, participants discussed the country’s recently approved Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), which was developed with the support of UNDP and the Initiative of Turkmenistan to establish a Climate Mitigating Technologies Centre for the Central Asia in Ashgabat.

The Development Partners Climate Group Coordination meeting is convened regularly serving as a strong coordination mechanism for developing and providing valuable support to Turkmenistan’s efforts on climate action and building resilience.

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