Development of “green skills” in Central Asia

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.