BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 18. A roundtable on combating desertification and drought has been held in Ashgabat with participation of UN agencies and regional environmental experts.
This was reported by the press service of the Government of Turkmenistan in a press release published on June 18.
"The participants of the meeting, organized by UNDP, the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan and the Scientific and Information Center of the Interstate Commission for Sustainable Development (ICSD), discussed strategies for preventing land degradation within the framework of the UNDP-GEF project on conservation of ecosystems in the Aral Sea basin," the statement says.
According to the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC), land degradation and increasing droughts remain among the most serious challenges for sustainable development in the region.
“Degradation of land and more frequent droughts remain among the most serious challenges for sustainable development in Central Asia. Consolidation of efforts of government agencies, international organizations, the scientific community and civil society is necessary for effective solutions,” said Mergen Kepbanov, Director of the CAREC project office in Turkmenistan.
The report also notes that participants highlighted the importance of strengthening international cooperation on climate resilience and land management, as well as the upcoming 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, scheduled for August 2026 in Ulaanbaatar.
