Ashgabat, 21-22 February 2023: International Organization for Migration Office in Turkmenistan jointly with the the United Nations Development Programme organized the workshop “Best International Practices on Adaptation to Climate Change and their Integration into the National Adaptation Planning Process”. During the two-day workshop relevant national stakeholders were presented with the best international practices and the ways of their integration into the national adaptation planning process in Turkmenistan.

Representatives of the relevant Ministries and state bodies of Turkmenistan, including the Mejlis, Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, State Committee of Water Management, Ministry Adalat, Ministry of Healthcare and Medical Industry, State Statistics Committee, Main Directorate of Civil Defense and Rescue Operations of the Ministry of Defense, Administrations of the cities of Ashgabat and Dashoguz, Caspian Sea Institute and the Women’s Union participated in the workshop.

Participants learned the examples of best regional adaptation practices in various sectors in countries with similar climatic conditions, including neighboring countries facing similar climate change challenges. In particular, they discussed ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) approach, which aims at maintaining and increasing resilience, as well as reducing vulnerability of ecosystems and people against the adverse impacts of climate change. The workshop participants also discussed the importance of  an integrated approach to adaptation planning at the level of all sectors.

In her opening remarks, Ms. Maya Ashirova, Manager of the UNDP/ GCF project "Developing a National Adaptation Planning Process in Turkmenistan" noted: “There is no doubt that climate change is all-encompassing, as almost all sectors of the economy face the negative consequences of climate change. An intersectoral approach is applied for the national adaptation planning process in Turkmenistan, that is taking into account a whole range of issues relevant to our country. During the workshop we will look at various aspects of adaptation to climate change in the water and agricultural sectors and discuss the inclusion of migration and health issues in the NAP.”

An integration of the nexus of migration, environment and climate change into the NAP was another topic of discussions. In particular, the Supplement on Human Mobility to the UNFCCC Technical Guidelines on the National Adaptation Plan Process was presented. Based on the experience of Moldova, the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and Actions of the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) into the NAP process was reviewed. In Moldova, this work was implemented jointly by the national partners, IOM and UNDP.

“Over the past two decades, IOM has contributed to the global recognition of the link between migration and climate change, thanks to which we witness a progressive transition from the lack of interest and understanding of the climatic and environmental factors of migration to increased awareness of stakeholders, formulation of migration topics in agreed national development policies on climate change, more evidence, strengthening partnerships and policy instruments, where this connection is explicitly  recognized,”- said Mr. Timur Dosmammedov, Head of IOM Office in Turkmenistan.

In the follow up discussions and groupwork, the workshop participants reviewed issues relating to adaptation planning through a gender lens guided by the principle “not to leave most vulnerable groups behind”. 

The workshop is a joint event organized by the UNDP/ GCF project “Developing a National Adaptation Planning Process in Turkmenistan” and the IOM project “Mainstreaming the Migration, Environment and Climate Change Nexus into Climate-Related National Planning Processes” in close cooperation with the national partners of both projects - the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan.

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For additional questions, please contact:

Dovlet Chariyev

IOM Communication Focal Point

E-mail: dchariyev@iom.int

Tel:+99312 488407