Ashgabat, 11 April 2024: Within the framework of the project “Developing a National Adaptation Planning Process in Turkmenistan”, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the financial support from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan, the concluding workshop of a series of events on adaptation to climate change in water management planning took place on April 8-9, 2024. Launched in June 2023, the workshop series was organized 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.
The goal of these events was to inform and raise awareness of the target group on complex risks associated with climate change in Turkmenistan. The workshops also aimed to emphasize the importance of integrating adaptation measures into water resource management, considering gender aspects and the interests of different population groups.
The target audience comprised representatives from various governmental bodies and institutions in Turkmenistan, including the Mejlis, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Adalat, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and Medical industry, the State Committee of Water Management, the Hydrometeorological Service, the State Scientific-Research Project Institute “Turkmensuwylymtaslama”, the Production Enterprise “Dashoguzsuwhojalyk”, the Administration of Ashgabat, the State Statistics Committee, the Caspian Sea Institute, and others.
A wide range of topics were covered throughout the series of events, culminating in a discussion of climate change adaptation instruments for water and agriculture management during the final event, held on April 8-9, 2024.
Leading specialists from the water and agriculture sectors presented drought management measures, ways to improve the efficiency of irrigated agriculture development in the context of climate change, the main directions for the development of renewable energy sources in improving water supply in the context of climate change, the possibility of using geoinformation systems in water and agriculture management. Additionally, the discussions covered the operational aspects and organizational frameworks for irrigation facilities. The participants took part in practical exercises aimed at summarizing the results of the series and assessing their knowledge enhancement in the field of adaptation to climate change in water management planning.
Concluding the workshop series, Dr. Dinara Ziganshina, UNDP international expert and Director of the SIC ICWC, emphasized: “Adaptation to climate change adaptation depends on engaging with people. Thus, the UNDP workshops serve as a foundation for the effectiveness of all future adaptation measures in water and agriculture management. The involvement of the same group of participants in the workshop series ensured the transfer of a huge amount of information and knowledge that will remain in the institutional memory of major governmental entities and agencies. We hope that the key discussions we have had within the series will lay the foundation for integrating climate change adaptation into the daily work and planning of decision-makers. This proactive approach will better equip the country to tackle challenges arising from the adverse impacts of climate change.”
/// nCa, 14 April 2024 (in cooperation with UNDP Turkmenistan, 11 April 2024)
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