UNCCD Executive Secretary meets with Ambassador of Turkmenistan

Bonn, Germany – The Ambassador of Turkmenistan to the Federal Republic of Germany Mr. Toily Atayev and the First Consulate Mr. Murad Ozbekbayev visited the UNCCD secretariat last week to meet with the UNCCD Executive Secretary Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw and the UNCCD staff. 

During the meeting, the Ambassador presented the continued efforts of Turkmenistan in afforestation and preservation of desert ecosystems –  the clearing of wooded areas is prevented by improving gas supply to the remote areas of the country. Turkmenistan also plays an active role in the regional ecological initiatives – since 2018, the country has been chairing the International Fund on Aral Sea Rescue and hosted the Summit of the Heads of Central Asian countries to mobilize efforts that mitigate the results of the Aral Sea ecological catastrophe. In this context, Mr. Atayev specifically underlined the importance of the UNCCD Drought Initiative as well as sand and dust storms mitigation both at national and regional levels.
 
The Ambassador and the Executive Secretary also exchanged views on the opportunities that drylands represent for biophysical rehabilitation and economic development. The representatives of Turkmenistan confirmed that the country is interested in expanding its collaboration with UNCCD on these issues.

The Executive Secretary accepted the invitation to visit Turkmenistan next year and encouraged the government of Turkmenistan to actively participate in the negotiations of the upcoming UNCCD COP14 in India.

Read more:

• UNCCD COP14