Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, 17 June 2025 – Representatives of the Scientific Information Centre of the Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development (SIC ICSD) served as co-organizers of a seminar dedicated to discussing the concept for updating the National Action Programme to Combat Desertification (NAP) in Turkmenistan. The event was organized within the framework of the UNDP/GEF project “Conservation and Sustainable Management of Land Resources and Ecosystems of High Ecological Value in the Aral Sea Basin,” implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan.
Openning of the seminar. Photo credit to UNDP Project.
The seminar was held in observance of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, established by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and marked annually on 17 June. The 2025 global campaign theme – “Restore the Land. Unlock the Opportunities.” – emphasized the urgent need for action to address land degradation and drought as critical challenges of our time.
UNCCD Executive Secretary message on Desertification and Drought Day 2025
The seminar brought together more than 30 representatives from government institutions and scientific bodies, including the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan, the hyakimliks of Dashoguz and Lebap velayats, the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, as well as international and civil society organizations.
Participants discussed the current status of the revised National Action Programme to Combat Desertification and its alignment with other national strategic frameworks. Discussions also addressed the integration of the Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) concept into the updated programme, opportunities for incorporating sand and dust storm and drought risk reduction into national planning, as well as legal frameworks and the existing regulatory base governing land degradation issues in Turkmenistan.
Participants of the seminar dedicated to the Global Desertification and Drought Day 2025
Special attention was given to land monitoring methods, including the use of satellite data for drought assessment, exemplified by the experience of the Daykhan Association “Erbent.” Participants also exchanged views on draft recommendations for priority areas of the revised NAP, developed further through group discussions.
The seminar featured a video message from the UNCCD Secretariat on the occasion of Desertification and Drought Day and served as a vital platform for knowledge exchange and enhanced collaboration among national and international stakeholders. In closing, participants discussed the next steps in finalizing the revised NAP, identifying responsible entities and timeframes for follow-up. It was underscored that this process will constitute a significant contribution by Turkmenistan towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 15: Life on Land.
The event supports the achievement of:
| Priority Area No 5 of REP4SD dedicated to SDG 15: “Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems” |
| 5.1.1 integration of the ecosystem approach for climate change adaptation at the strategic, programmatic and project levels to improve cross-sectoral collaboration (and sectoral plans) and ecosystem protection, restoration and sustainable management. |
| 5.1.7 use of modern monitoring methods to account for flora and fauna species, ecosystem conditions, land resources. |