The workshop “Green Skills Central Asia” was held in Tashkent on May 23–24, 2024. This event is organized by the project “Green Skills in Central Asia”, implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan on behalf of the German Government.
The event was attended by representatives of the Street Lighting Department of the State Electric Power Corporation “Turkmenenergo of the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan, the the State Research Design Institute «Turkmensuwylymtaslama» Turkmen State Water Research, Production and Design Institute “Turkmensuvylymtaslama” of the State Committee for Water Management of Turkmenistan, the Ashgabat City Administration (Khyakimlik of Ashgabat), the National Institute of Education of Turkmenistan of the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan , the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan and the director of the public association enterprise “Tebigy Kuwwat” – representative of the Aarhus Centre of Turkmenistan Berkeli Atayev, as well as the ministries of economy, education, energy, educational institutions and the private sector from the renewable energy, water supply and waste management sectors from the other Central Asian countries.
At the beginning, Ms. Sonja Rashidova, a GIZ PR specialist, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech, who spoke about the purpose of the workshop – initiating the process of developing a new regional project “Education and Employment Promotion for Sustainable Green Development – Green Skills Central Asia”, on behalf of the German Government. The project will support the skills development of specialists and professionals for the renewable energy, water and waste management sectors in Central Asia for the successful transition of the region’s countries to “green economy”.
During the event, participants discussed existing initiatives in the development of green skills in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, existing labor demand and skills gaps in the target sectors, and international trends in the “green” economy. A session called “World Café” discussed needs in specific sectors (energy, waste, water). In the second part of the workshop, innovative approaches and specific issues of cooperation were discussed in parallel sessions. There was a panel discussion of the results with experts and work in groups by country: stakeholders, priorities, rational cooperation. Regional cooperation, involvement of the private sector and inclusive access to educational opportunities will play a special role in discussions and future project design.
The meeting was initiated by the Nature Preserving Society of Turkmenistan and the public association enterprise (PAE) Tebigy Kuwwat, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding with CAREC recently. The main goal of the meeting agenda was to introduce the new head of the CAREC project Office in Turkmenistan to civil society organizations, to learn more about each other, about their activities, ideas, and also to discuss prospects for cooperation.
As a rule, at such meetings a Presidium is elected, and therefore, at the suggestion of S. Mamedniyazov, a chairman and secretary of the meeting were elected. They were, respectively, Serdar Allekov, Chairman of the Nature Preserving Society of Turkmenistan and Timur Aliyev, specialist of PAE “Tebigy Kuwwat” and the Aarhus Centre of Turkmenistan.
At the beginning, a presentation by M. Kepbanov about CAREC was heard, which spoke about the history of the organization’s creation, statutory goals and objectives, priorities, projects, the role of civil society in CAREC activities, etc.
Next, Berkeli Atayev made a presentation on the activities of the PAE “Tebigy Kuwwat” and the Aarhus Centre of Turkmenistan created under it. B. Atayev told everyone present at the meeting about the areas of activity, the development of partnerships, achievements and plans for the future. He especially emphasized the work of the Aarhus Centre, created in 2012 in the context of the signed Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan and the PAE “Tebigy Kuwwat”. This year marks the 25th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s joining Aarhus Convention, and in honor of this anniversary, the Centre is holding a number of events, including the creation of the “Aarhus Centre in Ashgabat” website, which is intended to cover all events related to the implementation of the Aarhus Convention, as well as events of Civil society organizations.
He noted the active participation of the Aarhus Centre in the preparation of all reports related to the Aarhus Convention and the promotion of its provisions in Turkmenistan. A striking example of this is the centre’s current participation in the preparation of the National Report on the implementation of the Aarhus Convention for the period 2021-2025.
The State Report covering a 5-year period on the implementation of the Aarhus Convention in Turkmenistan should reflect all relevant country’s activities, including civil society activities in the field of ecology. There are already certain developments in this Report, which the Aarhus Centre in Turkmenistan will soon introduce to a wide range of the public for discussion and receiving feedback and comments. In this regard, B. Atayev familiarized the meeting participants with the structure and individual provisions of the National Report on the implementation of the Aarhus Convention in Turkmenistan. In general, when the preliminary version of the Report is ready, its draft will be posted on the Aarhus Centre website for familiarization with the general public and, if necessary, making appropriate recommendations and proposals on it. The meeting participants spoke positively about the work being done by the Aarhus Centre and approved the structure of the future National Report.
Jojyyeva Shirin, international relations specialist of the CSO “Yash Tebigatchy” (Young Naturalist), attracted the attention of all participants with her presentation and with demonstration of videos. Despite the fact that the organization is only two years old, it has managed to occupy a worthy niche in the civil sector, working with children and youth.
The final part of the agenda was the issue of electing a CSO representative from Turkmenistan to the Board of Governors (BOG) of CAREC. According to the CAREC regulations, two representatives from each country in the Central Asian region are proposed to the BOG, one from a government structure and one from the Civil sector for a period of 3 years with a possible extension for another term. Currently, the term of stay of the current CSO representative from Turkmenistan in the BOG is coming to an end, and therefore, the public gathered at the meeting had the opportunity to propose their candidate.
Serdar Allekov asked to speak on this issue. He himself once represented the public of Turkmenistan in the CAREC Board of Governors and knows at first hand how important the role of each member of the BOG is in making environmental decisions important for the Central Asian region. Therefore, S. Allekov proposed the candidacy of Berkeli Ataev, director of the PAE “Tebigy Kuwwat”, as a member of the CAREC Board of Governors from the public of Turkmenistan. He noted that B. Ataev has extensive experience in the environmental sector, and he has been in the civil sector for about 15 years, has an understanding of the environmental situation in the country and in the region as a whole, has professional and communication skills both nationally and regionally level.
The meeting participants overwhelmingly supported S. Allekov’s proposal and voted for B. Atayev to join the CAREC Board of Governors in accordance with the CAREC Charter and the Regulations of the BOG.
B. Atayev cordially thanked everyone for placing such high trust in him, and on his part promised to make every effort to defend environmental interests at the national, regional and international levels. Also, he assured everyone present that he would certainly report on the work done during his tenure on the CAREC Board of Governors.
Based on the results of the meeting, a Minutes was drawn up, which recorded decisions on all items on the agenda. The meeting participants once again congratulated Mergen Kepbanov on his appointment as director of the CAREC Project Office in Turkmenistan, wished him fruitful work, and also expressed their desire to continue meeting on an ongoing basis to discuss any opportunities for interaction and cooperation in the field of ecology.
In late April, a meeting was held between the Chairman of the Civil Society organization “Nature Preserving Society of Turkmenistan” and the director of its enterprise “Tebigy Kuwwat” with Mergen Kepbanov, newly appointed director of the Regional Environmental Centre of Central Asia (CAREC) project Office in Turkmenistan.
During the negotiations, which were held in an atmosphere of friendship and mutual understanding, a number of issues of further cooperation in the field of environmental protection were discussed, as well as the role of civil society in this activity.
In the course of the negotiations, the parties exchanged experience in working with international organizations, as well as in interacting with ministries and organizations of Turkmenistan. The issues of attracting national experts to various national and regional projects in all areas of environmental protection were touched upon.
The activities of the Aarhus Centre in Ashgabat, which has been operating since 2012, were also noted on the meeting. The Centre regularly provides support in holding meetings, round tables, seminars and other events with representatives of state bodies on the Aarhus Convention implementation and other environmental issues. It should be recalled that Turkmenistan joined the Aarhus Convention in 1999.
In addition, there was talk about a possible joint effort to implement CAREC’s goals in priority areas. This includes participation in the implementation of national, regional and international projects and events to raise public awareness about international environmental conventions and international agreements signed by Turkmenistan in this area. Initiatives to improve national environmental legislation, including regulatory legal acts arising from the provisions of the Aarhus Convention, were considered.
In conclusion, after a fruitful meeting and discussions, a Memorandum of Understanding was prepared and signed between the Nature Preserving Society of Turkmenistan and CAREC, and between the PAE “Tebigy Kuwwat” and CAREC.
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