Results of the Global Disruptive Tech Challenge 2011, which was launched last November to selection innovative ideas for solution of problems of soil degradation and desertification in the Aral Sea region, have been summed up in April.

It was organized by the World Bank with support of the Central Asian Water and Energy Program – multilateral trust fund, which is sponsored by European Union, Switzerland and United Kingdom.

Lilia Burunchuk, the Regional Director for Central Asia of the World Bank said that having focused attention of creative minds of the world on the situation with the Aral Sea , we tried to collect new solutions for combating soil degradation in this region.

The Global Disruptive Tech Challenge has attracted attention of the world community to the problem and prompted creative minds to propose their ideas for the solution of this problem. 160 teams of innovators from all over the world has proven global scale of this ecological catastrophe related to the drying of the Aral Sea, which used to be the fourth lake in the world by its size.

159 proposals have been submitted from dozens of countries. More than half of the applications were sent from Central Asian countries including from Turkmenistan, which is located in close proximity from the disaster zone. 42 experts of the World Bank and partner organizations assessed presented materials and selected 24 projects for participation in the final.

Competent jury team assessed works in four direction – agriculture and management of land resources, stable forest management, social and economic development, information and knowledge. The team from Turkmenistan including Maral Annanurova, Akmyrat Atamyradov, Dildar Babajanov and Nuryagdy Halmamedov, which presented afforestation project, is among the finalists.

Four winners of the Global Disruptive Tech Challenge have participated in virtual ceremony organized by the World Bank in partnership with the Global Landscape Forum (GLF), Kazakh – German University (DKU) and innovative company Plug and Play (P&P). They are as follows:

• Agriculture and management of land resources: The process of land rehabilitation based on use of local sediments and wastes for stabilization of arid salinized lands, which was developed by NETICS B.V. (Netherland). GEOWALL® technology patented by the company was developed for prevention of the spread of toxic soli from affected basin of the Aral Sea by wind.

• Stable forest management: the Project of Aral Honey Gardens, which was developed by Natalya Akninshina and Azamat Azizov from Uzbekistan, provides the plantation of blooming trees for development of apiculture, which will provide new work places and income of the population together with restoration of forests.

• Social and economic development: The Initiative of Geneva Water Forum from Tajikistan presented by Hayriniso Rasulova, Muyasara Bobohonova, Shohida Tuliyeva and Farzona Mahmudova for improvement of potential of women from rural areas in management of water and land resources.

• Information and knowledge: The Sentinel application for sustainable management of pastures from KartEco Consultancy for ecological and energy engineering (Greece). This is a cloud online system, which is aimed at protection of meadows and destruction of pastures in Central Asia.

The winners of the challenge received awards to the amount of 5,000 US dollar and opportunity to participate in the mentoring program for the contribution to the restoration of the Aral Sea. The project, which won the second place, were awarded with 1,000 US dollars.

Turkmenistan sees the problem of the Aral Sea as one of the main priority of ecological agenda on national and international levels. National Program of Turkmenistan for the Aral Sea in 2021 – 2025 is ready to be approved.

Turkmenistan repeatedly urged the world community on international level to pays the utmost attention to the problem of the Aral Sea. At the same time, it was highlighted that air masses, which are formed in ecological disaster area, which is caused by drying up of the Aral Sea and make negative impact on nature, climate, health of people living in this area and far beyond its border, present special danger.

Turkmenistan steadily promotes the idea of development of the UN Special Program for Aral Sea basin as solution of this problem requires consolidated efforts of the world community. Based on the Resolutions of the General Assembly on Cooperation between the United Nations Organization and International Fund for Saving of the Aral Sea adopted on April 12, 2018 and May 28, 2019, our country aims to present initial draft of the concept and structure of future Special Program at the next session of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific in May 2021.

Ogulgozel Rejepova