Today, April 2nd, the III sub-regional seminar on national and sub-regional action programs for the cryosphere and climate change commenced its work in the city of Samarkand.

The seminar is being held within the framework of the UNESCO project "Strengthening the resilience of Central Asian countries by promoting regional cooperation in assessing nival-glacial systems for the development of integrated approaches to sustainable development and adaptation to climate change" following the methodology for developing strategic eco-programmatic action directions of the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

The seminar has brought together experts in cryosphere research, as well as research scientists from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Turkmenistan is represented at this important event by leading specialists and experts from the Ministries of Environmental Protection and Water Resources, and university scientists in this field.

Ms. Sara Noshadi, Head of the UNESCO Office in Uzbekistan, and Chinar Rustemova, Executive Secretary of the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO Affairs, delivered welcoming remarks at the seminar, expressing their readiness to address the pressing task of enhancing resilience to the impacts of climate change.

The first day of the seminar also included sessions on the challenges of launching a diagnostic analysis and presentations on the process of developing the National and Strategic Action Plan. The organized open dialogue among participants generated particular interest, during which an exchange of views took place regarding the future actions of the project participants.

The seminar serves as a continuation of previous discussions initiated in 2023 at regional seminars in Almaty and Ashgabat. The main goal of the project is to strengthen the adaptive capacity of the five Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, to the impact of climate change on the cryosphere through assessment, the development of regional cooperation, and interaction with stakeholders.

It also aims to consolidate knowledge about the cryosphere, including glaciers, permafrost, and snow cover, to understand their impact on downstream territories by improving data collection and analysis, and to provide regional stakeholders with comprehensive information necessary for making effective decisions and developing strategies for enhancing resilience.

It is important to note that the new UNESCO regional project on the cryosphere in Central Asia plays a significant role in strengthening cooperation between the countries of our region in the field of cryosphere research, the review of key ideas on climate change, and cryosphere monitoring. The project also contributes to data collection and exchange, and the development of frameworks for future development scenarios.

Tomorrow, April 3rd, the seminar will continue its work, where, within the framework of the session "Ideas for Pilot Projects" representatives of the countries will deliver presentations proposing nationally agreed measures for the implementation of the UNESCO project.

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