The Government of Turkmenistan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Thursday signed a new project “Conservation and Sustainable Management of Land Resources and High Nature Value Ecosystems in the Aral Sea Basin for Multiple Benefits”.
The new project was signed on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s accession to the United Nations. It is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and will be implemented jointly by UNDP and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan, the UNDP announced in its press release.
The new joint project worth $4.6 million is aimed at the conservation and effective use of key ecosystems, land and water resources in the Turkmen part of the Aral Sea basin, mainly in Lebap and Dashoguz provinces.
The project will complement the current portfolio of UNDP projects in the field of environment and energy and assist the country to introduce the implementation of relevant adaptation planning mechanisms into national planning processes and mitigation of the negative effects of climate change in the country.
The new project will also have a complementary and supportive effect on the implementation of National Aral Sea Programme for 2021-2025, adopted by the Government of Turkmenistan in October 2021.
The project implementation will involve a number of line Ministries and entities of Turkmenistan, including the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, the State Committee for Water Resources, the parliament, the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Committee on Statistics, Daýhanbank State Commercial Bank, the khyakimliks of Lebap and Dashoguz velayats and the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan.
The project is also expected to provide support to Turkmenistan’s initiatives within the framework of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea.