Oriented on making people closer

On September 13, the official launch of the new GIZ Project “EU for Green Development of Turkmenistan: Policy Dialogue and Climate Action 2024-2028”, funded by the European Union and the German Federal Foreign Office, took place in Ashgabat.

The launch of the project was preceded by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation between the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan, the State Concern “Turkmengas” and GIZ in May this year. On this day, on the thirtieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the EU and Turkmenistan, the parties reached an agreement to strengthen and expand partnership in the field of energy, environmental protection and climate policy.

The kick-off meeting at the Archabil Hotel brought together representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, the parties to the Memorandum, as well as the Delegation of the European Union to Ashgabat, the German Embassy and international partners on development.

The new bilateral program, according to the technical specifications approved by the Coordination Committee, is aimed at implementing the signed document, in particular supporting Turkmenistan's actions in the field of "green" sustainable development by applying advanced international experience and EU standards.

Introducing the new project, its leader and Director of the “Green Central Asia” Initiative of the German Foreign Ministry Dr. Caroline Milow, stressed that the main activities will focus on establishing an effective dialogue between the EU and the Turkmen authorities in promoting renewable energy sources and increasing energy efficiency by reducing methane/greenhouse gas emissions.

The next priority area for the project is to strengthen the capacity of government agencies to develop the necessary measures, including legal ones, to adapt to climate change in accordance with the latest European technologies and practices.

To achieve these goals, it is planned to involve implementation partners who will support the development of content and the organization of events: Clausthal University of Technology and the Central Asian Sustainable Innovation Bureau (CASIB), managed by the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (Germany).

In addition, the project plans to actively engage partners to support the implementation of national programs and strategies such as the National Strategy for the Development of Renewable Energy in Turkmenistan until 2030 and the National Strategy of Turkmenistan on Climate Change. In particular, it is planned to develop measures related to ecosystems and forestry, training and awareness raising.

During the meeting, participants were also presented with two pilot projects demonstrating adaptation measures related to training in the use of renewable energy sources, energy storage and detection, monitoring and reduction of methane emissions. The presented pilot projects will be implemented jointly with the State Concern “Turkmengas” and the State Institute of Energy of Turkmenistan.

The parties expressed confidence that joint efforts will lead to the achievement of the project's goals, which in turn will help prevent the negative consequences of climate change in the region and the world, according to a GIZ press release.

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH, or GIZ for short, is Germany's main development agency. Its headquarters are located in Bonn and Eschborn, and it provides services in the field of international development cooperation and international educational work.

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Photo: GIZ