World Environment Day: projects being implemented in Turkmenistan
June 5 is the World Environment Day, which was established by the UN General Assembly. It has been celebrated every year since 1972, from the start of the Stockholm Conference on the Environment. The Day’s theme in 2020 focuses on the conservation of biodiversity, one of the urgent and important objectives for all mankind. This day emphasizes the importance of partnerships in international environmental cooperation.
One of the significant international organizations participating in the implementation of the state policy in the field of environmental protection and maintaining the ecological balance is the United Nations Development Programme. UNDP has been actively working in this area for many years in collaboration with the ministries and departments, as well as international organizations.
UNDP in Turkmenistan carries out a number of projects in the fields of climate change, energy efficiency, waste management, as well as sustainable transport, land use, development of renewable energy, and rational water use.
One of the basic areas of UNDP’s environmental activities is climate change. Thus, the organization took an active part in the development and revision of the amended National Strategy of Turkmenistan on Climate Change (NSTCC), approved in September last year. Currently, work is under way with the ministries and departments to develop the Paris Climate Agreement Implementation Plan, and the fourth Report on Climate Change is prepared for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
UNDP is supporting the development of a modern environmental monitoring system. The installation and operation of equipment purchased with the assistance of the organization will further improve the air pollution control system in Ashgabat and in the regions, as well as monitor air pollution. The measures undertaken are expected to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
As for sustainable land use, UNDP is implementing a project in Dashoguz and Lebap regions aimed at improving the ameliorative condition of irrigated lands, raising crop yields and, ultimately, increasing tenant income. To date, the project has facilitated introducing effective management model at pilot agricultural sites with a total area of more than 12 thousand hectares, as well as over 105 thousand hectares of natural pasture.
UNDP is also carrying out a project focused on sustainable water resources management in Turkmenistan, as part of which new technologies are introduced into irrigated agriculture at research sites in Gokdepe and Kaka. These contribute to the conservation of water resources, significant energy savings, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Projects that UNDP implements in the field of environmental protection can be listed for a long time. The United Nations Development Programme is ready to further maintain comprehensive environmental cooperation in Turkmenistan for the purpose of studying and protecting the environment, as well as implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.
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