On April 4-5, an historic summit, "Central Asia – European Union" was held in Samarkand, during which the heads of state of the region, including Turkmenistan, discussed prospects for strengthening multilateral cooperation in a number of areas of strategic development. On the sidelines of the summit, at the initiative of the leadership of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Samarkand Climate Forum was initiated, bringing together delegates from all corners of the globe.

Of particular note was the high-level dialogue that opened the agenda of the forum's second day, involving youth representatives from Central Asian countries, Turkiye, Azerbaijan, and Hungary with the ministers of ecology, environmental protection, and climate change of their respective nations. These young individuals are members of the International Youth Advisory Committee (IYAC), established during the COP29 climate conference held in Azerbaijan in 2024.

In the lead-up to last year's major climate meeting, they worked on creating a regional youth statement on climate change, which became the foundation for the International Strategy for Promoting a Culture of Sustainable Development and Engaging Children and Youth in the Climate Agenda for 2024-2030, adopted in Baku.

And now, after nearly a year of joint online work and the elaboration of proposed initiatives, representatives from 8 countries gathered again in Samarkand to discuss opportunities for youth interaction with relevant ministries and departments at both the national and global levels.

The session began with traditional greetings and introductions of the young delegates to the heads of ministries. Sharing their experiences in the field of combating climate change, the IYAC members presented the results of their analysis of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) adopted by the countries of the region within the framework of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. In particular, increased attention was paid to the involvement of youth and the provision of opportunities to participate in the decision-making process. The youth proposals for improving national climate goals included the creation of national youth advisory councils under the relevant departments of the region's countries, the development of youth-oriented strategies for adapting to the consequences of climate change, as well as the strengthening of the integration of climate education into curricula.

The youth representative of Turkmenistan, UN SDG 17 Youth Ambassador Saparguly Mahtumov, shared:

"Despite the significant work on the integration of climate education being carried out in our countries, when analyzing NDCs 2.0, we noticed that although education is recognized as an important sector in this matter, the integration of the climate change agenda into curricula is not a focus of the goals described in previous NDCs. Without clear commitments to climate education in national action plans, the next generation of young leaders may be unprepared for the climate situation of the future".

Following the results of the analysis of the region's countries' NDCs, the delegates proposed several potential plans for the implementation of joint initiatives. Taking into account the voice of young people, the heads of ministries unanimously expressed their commitment to supporting the work of youth in this area. "Youth are the 'heart' of such discussions, because you are our future," stated the representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Climate Issues, Mukhtar Babayev.

The Minister of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan, Charygeldi Babaniyazov, continued this thought: "It is long overdue for all of us to think about developing an environmental culture among the population. This is very important for our youth, and I believe that it is necessary to develop work in this direction. In this regard, I propose creating a Regional Center for Environmental Culture, which will serve as a platform for our young activists to promote such initiatives and popularize the concept of sustainable development. After all, our youth today are the driving force of our countries tomorrow!"

After the discussion of the NDCs, the IYAC members gave a presentation on an innovative project to reduce food waste in the region, which was developed in preparation for the upcoming Green Digital Startup Initiatives competition, to be held on the sidelines of the World Youth Festival – 2025 in Nukus, Republic of Karakalpakstan. And already in May, the participation of an IYAC group as a participating team in this initiative is anticipated.

In conclusion of the meeting, according to tradition, all participants gathered for a group photograph. Of course, everyone wanted to continue this conversation a little longer, but, as the heads of the environmental agencies of the participating countries stated: "Today it is time for us to conclude our meeting. But this is not the end – it is only the beginning of our long and close cooperation with the voices of youth".

ORIENT