BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 10. The UN-backed
Blueing the Caspian Sea initiative is expected to strengthen
environmental cooperation and knowledge exchange among Caspian
states.
UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan Xiaojun Grace Wang said
this in an exclusive interview with Trend, responding to a question about the
practical activities expected to involve Turkmenistan under the
initiative.
"The GEF-supported Blueing the Caspian Sea initiative covers
three riparian countries — Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan
— bringing together several UN agencies and international
partners," Wang said.
She said the initiative is being implemented through two
complementary tracks, combining national-level activities with a
regional component.
"The initiative runs through two complementary tracks: a
national window, financed by the GEF through the World Bank and
executed by UNOPS, and a regional window, financed directly through
the GEF to UNEP and implemented with the Tehran Convention
Secretariat as the executing body," Wang said.
According to her, the two tracks are designed to address
environmental challenges through monitoring, biodiversity planning
and coordinated action across the Caspian region.
"Together, these tracks are designed to strengthen pollution
monitoring and biodiversity planning in targeted sites across the
Caspian Sea, while promoting coordinated regional action on
pollution control, biodiversity conservation, and climate
adaptation," she said.
Wang highlighted several key areas for the initiative in
Turkmenistan, including environmental monitoring, biodiversity
research, and ecosystem protection.
"For Turkmenistan specifically, the most relevant areas of
engagement are expected to include strengthening environmental
monitoring systems, improving the scientific evidence base for
biodiversity conservation, and supporting ecosystem protection and
restoration efforts," Wang said.
She added that these activities are intended to provide a
stronger basis for understanding environmental changes in the
Caspian Sea and for making related decisions.
"These activities will help generate the knowledge needed for
more informed decision-making and deepen understanding of the
environmental changes affecting the Caspian Sea," she said.
At the same time, she stressed that the initiative is expected
to strengthen cooperation among the Caspian littoral states on
environmental issues that extend beyond individual national
borders.
"The initiative also opens up opportunities for enhanced
cooperation and knowledge exchange among the Caspian littoral
states on shared environmental challenges that cross national
borders," Wang said.
She also highlighted the importance of understanding how
environmental pressures affect communities socially and
economically.
"Because environmental pressures affect communities in different
ways, strengthening the evidence base on their social and economic
impacts — including how these differ between women and men — can
help shape more inclusive and effective policies and
interventions," Wang said.
More broadly, Wang said the initiative is linked to the UN’s
wider work on environmental governance, climate resilience,
sustainable resource management and science-based
decision-making.
"By bringing together governments, international organizations,
and technical institutions across both the national and regional
tracks, it can help translate regional commitments into practical
action while building countries' capacity to address pollution,
biodiversity loss, and the impacts of climate change," she
said.
Wang emphasized that the initiative is ultimately based on the
need for coordinated action across the Caspian region.
"Ultimately, the initiative rests on the understanding that the
Caspian Sea's future depends on collective action. Through stronger
regional cooperation, shared knowledge, and coordinated
implementation, it can contribute to a more resilient, sustainable,
and prosperous future for the entire Caspian region," she
added.
Meanwhile, the United Nations in Turkmenistan serves as a
development partner, endorsing national priorities aligned with the
Sustainable Development Goals through the UN Sustainable
Development Cooperation Framework (2021-2025/2026-2030). The
Country Team, led by the UN Resident Coordinator, collaborates with
the government on health, education, economic, and social reforms.
Key focuses include people-centered governance, inclusive economic
growth, and quality services. Major UN agencies involved are UNDP,
WHO, UNICEF, and UNODC.
Additionally, the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy
for Central Asia addresses regional security. Key projects
encompass legal aid strengthening, violence protection for women
and children, trade improvement, water resource management, and
pandemic preparedness, supported by significant government
financial contributions.
Water and environmental sustainability are also an important
part of the UN’s cooperation with Turkmenistan. The UN supports the
country in areas including water security, climate resilience,
ecosystem management, and environmental monitoring, while its
current 2026-2030 Cooperation Framework identifies environment and
climate change mitigation and adaptation as one of three strategic
priorities.
Notably, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) is an
international family of environmental funds that supports
developing countries in addressing global environmental challenges.
Established in 1991, it provides primarily grant financing for
projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international
waters, land degradation, chemicals, and waste.
The GEF also serves as a financial mechanism for several major
international environmental agreements, including the Convention on
Biological Diversity, the UN Framework Convention on Climate
Change, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the Stockholm
Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, the Minamata
Convention on Mercury and the BBNJ Agreement. The World Bank serves
as the GEF Trustee, while a network of partner agencies helps
develop and implement GEF-supported projects.
