In the period of November 27 - December 06, 2023, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) organized a series of working meetings within the framework of the project “Developing a National Adaptation Planning Process in Turkmenistan” jointly implemented with the financial support of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan.

During these meetings international experts from the Austrian company Hydrophil GmbH, who arrived with a brief mission to Turkmenistan, have discussed various issues and challenges related to climate change with stakeholders in water and agricultural sectors in Ashgabat and Dashoguz velayat. The stakeholder discussions are the first steps in conducting climate change risk and vulnerabilities assessments on water resources and agriculture that are being conducted on the level the city of Ashgabat and Dashoguz velayat, taking into account the impact of climate change on particularly vulnerable groups, including women.

Adaptation planning at the local level requires an understanding of current and projected climate hazards for vulnerable sectors. These two factors are combined in a risk and vulnerability assessment. The assessment is also important for creating an evidence base to strengthen adaptation planning in the water sector. An approach for conducting the assessment is based on the climate risk framework of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and ensures the application of the best scientific developments. The study will also include the assessment and prioritization of gender-specific climate risks resulting from the interplay of climate hazards, vulnerabilities, and exposed elements and identification of gender-specific adaptation options for risk mitigation.

During the participatory scoping, consultations were held with representatives of government entities, the private sector and civil society, including but not limited to the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan, the Ministry of Agriculture of Turkmenistan, the State Committee for Water Management, the Hydrometeorological Service of Turkmenistan, the Hyakimliks of Ashgabat and Dashoguz velayat, the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan, universities, banks, farmer’s associations.

In the Dashoguz velayat, the project team and consultants also met with local farmers in Koneurgench and Shabat etraps specializing in livestock management and crop production to gain insight into the climate-related risks that farmers are concerned about and discuss the ways of addressing them.

ORIENT news