Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, 13 May 2024 — Representatives of the Scientific-Information Center of the Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development of Central Asia (SIC ICSD) participated in the Validation Workshop for the project "Strengthening the Capacity of Turkmenistan to Comply with the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) under the Paris Agreement." The workshop was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan as part of the preparatory phase of a Global Environment Facility (GEF) project aimed at strengthening the country's national climate transparency system.
The workshop brought together representatives of relevant government ministries and agencies, scientific institutions, civil society organizations, international partners, and members of the expert community working on climate change, energy, agriculture, land use, industry, waste management, and natural resources management. The primary objective of the meeting was to review and validate the project's scope, key activities, institutional arrangements, and implementation and financing mechanisms through consultations with all relevant stakeholders.
The project seeks to strengthen Turkmenistan's institutional and human capacities to meet the reporting requirements of the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) under the Paris Agreement, including the preparation of national transparency reports, enhanced monitoring of the implementation of the country's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), and the development of an integrated data management system covering climate change mitigation, adaptation, and climate finance.
During the workshop, participants reviewed the project's main components, which include strengthening inter-agency coordination, enhancing the technical capacities of national specialists, and establishing a modern information management system for the collection, processing, and exchange of data required for national climate reporting. Particular attention was given to developing sustainable institutional coordination mechanisms among government entities and other stakeholders to ensure the regular updating of climate-related information and to support evidence-based decision-making.
At the conclusion of the Validation Workshop, participants reaffirmed the relevance of the proposed project activities and expressed their support for the further development of Turkmenistan's national climate transparency system. The recommendations agreed upon during the workshop will be incorporated into the final design of the project prior to the commencement of its full-scale implementation.
For SIC ICSD, climate transparency, environmental monitoring, and the strengthening of scientific and analytical support for environmental policymaking constitute important areas of work under the Regional Programme for Environmental Protection for Sustainable Development in Central Asia (REP4SD) 2020-2030. Participation in initiatives of this nature contributes to strengthening regional cooperation, enhancing environmental monitoring systems, facilitating the exchange of best practices among the countries of Central Asia, and reinforcing the capacity of the region to fulfill its international commitments on climate change and sustainable development.
The event supports the achievement of:
| Priority Area of REP4SD No 4 dedicated to SDG 13: “Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts” |
| 4.3 Assessment of climate risks and vulnerabilites through the application of corresponding models of a climate change impact on water resources, terrestrial ecosystems and natural disasters, tackling the development of state policies and strategies in this area. |