Turkmenistan at WGS 2024: Transport and energy sustainability, circular economy
“Turkmenistan, as a responsible member of the international community, clearly formulates and implements its approaches and actions, outlining priorities according to which the contribution of our country will make for the speedy achievement of global goals,” the head of the Turkmen delegation at the World Government Summit (WGS 2024), Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov said.
Among these priorities, transport connectivity and sustainability are highlighted, since supply chains and the construction of reliable communications are of particular importance in the context of global economic transformation.
In recent years, international dialogue on this important aspect of sustainable development has intensified at the UN. On the initiative of Turkmenistan, six UN General Assembly resolutions on sustainable transport have been adopted over the past decade.
In November 2016, the first UN Global Conference on Sustainable Transport was held in the capital of Turkmenistan, which resulted in the adoption of the Ashgabat Statement of Commitments and Policy Recommendations. At the same time, within the framework of the UN Global Transport Forum, a new mechanism for international interaction was created - the Ashgabat Process on Sustainable Transport.
“By promoting international participation in the transport and logistics sector, today we are proposing an initiative to create a Global Atlas of Sustainable Transport Connectivity,” Meredov said.
According to the Turkmen side, the main elements of the Atlas should include:
– multilateral partnerships involving governments, international organizations, research institutions, the private sector and civil society to identify and implement a clear sequence of long-term joint practical steps;
– an open data platform that facilitates the exchange of critical information and brings together various sources;
– constant analysis of information and development of mutually agreed decisions at the intergovernmental level.
The next important priority for sustainable development in the context of countries with economies in transition is energy sustainability. On January 26, the world community for the first time celebrated the International Clean Energy Day, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly on the initiative of the UAE.
Congratulating the leadership of the Emirates on this diplomatic victory and an important step towards global sustainable development, Rashid Meredov noted that stable and reliable energy connectivity is one of the main priorities of Turkmenistan’s international activities, as evidenced by three UN General Assembly resolutions on energy sustainability issues initiated by our country.
“One of the horizontal elements of the entire range of promoted multilateral initiatives in the field of modern energy and the key condition for their successful implementation is, first of all, the security and stability of energy supply,” the Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan emphasized.
The Turkmen side believes that in the near future, at the global level, it is necessary to concentrate efforts on solving the following problems:
– firstly, creation of a new international platform for cooperation between governments, energy companies and financial institutions;
– secondly, ensuring the exchange of best practices in energy risk management;
– thirdly, development of effective tools for solving global and regional disruptions in energy supplies;
– fourthly, stimulating joint investments in strategic energy infrastructure projects of international importance;
– fifthly, to promote the creation of transparent and competitive energy markets.
Following these goals and objectives, Turkmenistan invites the governments of interested countries to create an Alliance for cooperation in the field of global energy security and sustainable development.
“The main principle of partnership within the framework of such an Alliance, in our opinion, should be the indivisibility and interconnectedness of the goals of ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy sources for everyone,” Meredov emphasized.
Noting that the success of sustainable development largely depends on our ability to update economic approaches at the national, regional and global levels, the Minister emphasized that a sustainable transformation of global development is impossible without the creation of regional and national models of a circular economy.
This is particularly the focus of the global campaign launched at the UN in December 2022 to achieve net-zero emissions targets.
With the world's rapidly growing population and the current volume of municipal solid waste, a major challenge for national governments is to manage available natural resources while minimizing the impact on the environment.
This requires consolidation of efforts and approaches at the interstate level, which will allow us to consider the circular economy not just as a concept, but as a collective action for a global structural transition to saving consumption models.
In this regard, Turkmenistan proposes to develop a Global Framework for the Transition to a Circular Economy based on the priorities of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Presenting Turkmenistan's vision for such a framework program, Meredov outlined its key elements: common standard indicators and reporting; international cooperation on critical resources; creation of a Global Innovation Fund for closed-loop technologies; capacity building and knowledge sharing.
It was noted that empowering developing countries through the exchange of experience and development of national competencies should ensure their equal participation in global processes of building a circular economy.
In conclusion, the head of the Turkmen delegation called on all participants in the World Government Summit to consider the initiatives of Turkmenistan aimed at creating a new framework for multilateral cooperation in building a sustainable global economy of the future.
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