Within the framework of the project “Developing a National Adaptation Planning Process in Turkmenistan” implemented by UNDP with the financial support of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan, a two-day Training of Trainers (ToT) session titled “Integration of Adaptation to the Effects of Climate Change into the Water Management Planning in Turkmenistan” was held.
The event was attended by 30 trainers representing the Ministry of Environment Protection of Turkmenistan, various departments of the State Committee for Water Management of Ashgabat and Dashoguz velayat, the Academy of Sciences, lecturers and graduating students of agricultural universities and agro-industrial secondary specialized educational institutions of Ashgabat and Dashoguz cities, as well as representatives of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, civil society organizations (PA “Ecodurmush”, ES “Tebigy Kuvvat”, ES “Ynanch-Vepa”) and others.
The session was prepared and delivered in partnership with the Scientific-Information Center of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (SIC ICWC) and Scientific-Information Center of the Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development (SIC ICSD) of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS).
The experts were assigned to enhance the participants’ capacities in climate change adaptation, particularly in water resource management. Additionally, they were tasked to present a preliminary teaching guide entitled “Integration of adaptation to the Effects of Climate Change in the Water Management Planning in Turkmenistan” and conduct training sessions to facilitate its regular application, thereby fostering more effective implementation of adaptation methods and practices. The teaching guide was created to enhance the competence of personnel in the field of management, systemic and strategic thinking, as well as the practical application of diverse adaptation measures in water use planning and management. It covers various topics such as legal regulations concerning water resources and climate change adaptation, gender considerations in integrated water resources management (IWRM), the study of technical tools for water resource management, financing, and monitoring of adaptation measures, among others.
UNDP international expert Dr. Vadim Sokolov, Vice President of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage and Head of the IFAS Agency for the Implementation of Projects in the Aral Sea Basin, noted the following: “Adaptation to the effects of climate change is implemented in the most effective way with a high level of competence of specialists. It is especially important to strengthen the capacity of trainers who can continue the launched work on the systematic and regular implementation of adaptation methods and practices in all areas of the public and private sectors”. ///UNDP, 13 March 2024