Ashgabat, 30 – 31 May 2023. The International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Development Programme in Turkmenistan raised awareness of national partners involved in national climate change adaptation planning of institutional and practical aspects of climate change adaptation at different government levels, including best practices on integration of human mobility issues into national adaptation plans and the role of migration in climate-resilient development at a two-day workshop organized with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan.
Representatives from different ministries and agencies including the Mejlis, Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, State Committee for Water Management, Ministry of Health and Medical Industry, State Statistics Committee, General Directorate of Civil Defense and Rescue Operations of the Ministry of Defense, State Migration Service of Turkmenistan, Institute of the Caspian Sea and Women Union took part in the workshop. The workshop participants discussed topics related to various options for the interaction of key institutional structures and policy instruments for adaptation and adaptation planning at the global and regional levels, relevant aspects of coordinating the adaptation agenda between existing government institutions and others stakeholders. The UNDP project specialist and an invited speaker from the UNDP Moldova office spoke about modern practices for data collection, monitoring, reporting and assessment (MRV) on climate and adaptation measures with reference to the experience of other countries. The workshop participants also reviewed aspects of engagement of different stakeholders from the private sector, civil society organizations and local authorities in the planning and implementation of adaptation measures.
In particular, an international UNDP expert from Sweden noted that adaptation to climate change is a cyclical process that, along with planning and implementing measures, includes regular assessment and monitoring of progress, as well as revision and adaptation of goals and measures taken in response to current climate indicators, the current socio-economic situation and other data. The national adaptation planning is a long-term and strategic process. Establishment of an institutional structure and coordination of actions between stakeholders are the key aspects for the successful implementation of the full cycle of adaptation.
Other than theoretical knowledge, the workshop participants were able to practice the introduction of the adaptation agenda into the decision-making process in the course of an interactive game, when decisions were made through a dialogue on the distribution of investments in country development programs, taking into account long-term climate risks.
Inclusion of the relationship between migration, environment and climate change in national plans related to climate change was a separate topic of discussion. The IOM regional expert and a representative of the University of Vienna, collaborating with IOM on the impact of climate change on population mobility, presented the workshop participants with the Supplement to the UNFCCC Technical Guidelines for National Adaptation Planning Process on integration of population mobility issues. The participants of the workshop were also briefed on best international practices for inclusion of population mobility issues in national coordination mechanisms, evidence and knowledge base on climate change and adaptation, implementation strategy and reporting system for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of NAPs.
As was noted by international experts, population mobility issues related to environmental factors and climate change have long been at the core of IOM’s operational, research, policy and information activities. In this regard, IOM seeks to place human mobility at the center of international, regional and national discussions on climate change in cooperation with its Member States, observers and partners.
This workshop is the third in a series on climate change risk adaptation and best practices in climate change adaptation planning held under the UNDP/ GCF project “Development of national adaptation planning in Turkmenistan” and the IOM project “Mainstreaming migration, environment and climate change nexus climate related national planning process” in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan. ///UN Turkmenistan, 5 Jun 2023
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