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Issues of transboundary water cooperation between Turkmenistan and the countries of the Aral Sea basin were discussed during the national seminar on water diplomacy, which was held in Turkmenabad.

It was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan and the United Nations Development Program within the framework of the project "Conservation and sustainable management of land resources and ecosystems of high natural value in the Aral Sea Basin for multiple benefits", which is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The event is also aimed at informing about the current activities of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS).

"Water is a key and strategic resource for the country. Taking into account the transboundary nature of water sources and water scarcity in Central Asia, it is necessary to deepen cooperation between the countries of the region within the framework of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS)," said UNDP Permanent Representative in Turkmenistan Narine Sahakyan, noting that within the framework of the new project, UNDP supports the development of cooperation in the field of regional water diplomacy for sustainable management water resources in the region.

The participants, represented by representatives of relevant ministries and departments, mayors of the Lebap and Dashoguz regions, the Turkmen State Pedagogical Institute named after Seyitnazar Seidi, the IFAS Executive Committee, considered the impact of climate change on the region's water resources, gender and youth aspects of water diplomacy, as well as issues of integrated use of water resources of the Dashoguz region and the northern parts of Lebap.

It should be noted that the US$ 4.6 million project aims to help neutralize land degradation through initial investments in joint integrated land use planning to restore and improve the use of land and water resources, taking into account the main habitats of biodiversity.

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Photo: provided by UNDP in Turkmenistan