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.
