The XXV Multi-sector International Exhibition and Conference «White City Ashgabat 2026» (WCA 2026) officially opened today in the capital of Turkmenistan. The landmark silver-jubilee event has convened senior ministers, municipal authorities, heads of international organizations, diplomatic missions, institutional investors, and global corporate executives representing the construction, infrastructure, energy, and technology sectors.
Held under the central theme «Architecture. Innovation. Sustainable Development» the anniversary edition of this multi-sector forum marks 25 years as Central Asia's premier platform for urban transformation, capital infrastructure modernization, and international investment cooperation.
The day's proceedings commenced at the exhibition hall of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by an executive tour of the international industrial exposition. The wide exhibition halls feature cutting-edge technologies, sustainable civil engineering models, smart-city software systems, grid-efficiency solutions, and deep industrial manufacturing projects from over 100 international companies and domestic state enterprises.
The WCA 2026 forum has evolved into a strategic catalyst for our nation's modernization. As we celebrate Ashgabat City Day and its 145th anniversary, this platform highlights our commitment to developing high-tech, sustainable urban environments. By integrating advanced international practices with local industrial capacity, we are constructing resilient cities that serve our citizens and strengthen our national economy.
The high-level itinerary continues today with the High-Level United Nations Roundtable, titled «From Global Dialogue To Local Action: Advancing Sustainable, Inclusive and Smart Cities.» This session bridges global urban development mandates with practical, city-level implementation strategies.
In the afternoon, analytical focus shifts to long-term capital planning during the Strategic Plenary Session, «Building a Resilient, Smart and Globally Connected Capital,» hosted at the Olympia Hotel. The assembly brings together senior policy planners and multilateral financial institutions to map out the capital's structural and digital roadmap over the next two decades.
The scale of this morning's launch underscores Ashgabat's growing relevance as a regional hub for sustainable urban dialogue and practical project execution. Over the two-day forum, technical sessions will focus intensely on infrastructure finance structures, localized building material supply chains, industrial construction ecosystems, digital municipal transformation, and specialized talent development.
The event will continue tomorrow, 25 May, with targeted thematic parallel sessions and structured bilateral matchmaking meetings, providing international partners and technology providers with direct procurement channels to public sector project owners and state enterprise directors executing the country's national infrastructure programs.
