A seminar dedicated to the launch of a new project aimed at increasing the transparency and effectiveness of Turkmenistan’s climate reporting in the framework of the Paris Agreement commitments was held in Ashgabat. The initiative comes from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), which financially supports hundreds of energy-efficient, environmental, adaptation and green projects around the world, including in Turkmenistan.
The GEF supports the preparation of a joint project between the Government of Turkmenistan and the Food and Agriculture Programme of the United Nations (FAO) entitled “Strengthening Turkmenistan’s capacity to comply with the expanded transparency framework under the Paris Agreement”. In this regard, the first introductory seminar was held in Ashgabat, which brought together representatives of ministries and departments of the country.
How will the new project be implemented?
According to the information presented at the seminar, multi-vector work is expected, involving consultations, trainings, meetings, scientific exchange, cooperation with government organizations.
The project starts in September this year and will last for several years. It has includes key four components:
- Developing a roadmap and action plan to strengthen Turkmenistan’s “transparency” in climate reporting.
- Enhancing technical reporting on greenhouse gas inventories, mitigation efforts, and climate finance.
- Analyzing achieved results, including climate losses and damages, as part of the “openness” concept.
- Implementing monitoring and final evaluation.
Specialists of Turkmenistan from state institutions, climate scientists and environmentalists, as well as employees of partner organizations will be engaged in all four stages.
Preliminary data from Turkmenistan’s Fourth National Communication to the UNFCCC and its first voluntary biennial report, both under development, indicate a potential decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. This positive trend is attributed to several factors:
- Strong state support for environmental reforms: The government is actively investing in initiatives that promote sustainability and resource efficiency.
- Adoption of “green” standards: Implementing environmentally friendly practices across various sectors is becoming increasingly common in Turkmenistan.
- Focus on closed-loop production: New industrial complexes are being built with a closed production cycle to minimize waste and emissions.
- Modernization of energy infrastructure: Energy-intensive industries are transitioning to more economical and efficient systems, reducing energy consumption and related emissions.
- Improved wastewater treatment: Upgrading sewage treatment plants further contributes to environmental protection and emissions reduction.
Expected benefits from the new project
The new method of reporting on the fulfillment of obligations under the Paris Agreement can contribute to more effective planning in agriculture and water management, conservation of agrobiodiversity, economic development, and improvement of the migration status of each state.
The project can be called one of the parties to the implementation of the Paris Agreement, which involves not only the fulfillment of mitigation and adaptation obligations, but also the creation of reliable reporting monitoring systems. ///nCa, 16 February 2024 (based on the materials of the newspaper “Neutral Turkmenistan”)