For Central Asia, green, sustainable and inclusive recovery offers great opportunities for prosperity, said Anna Bjerde, World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia. In her view, the region has a unique opportunity to support sustainable growth and job creation through green investments such as cleaner energy and energy efficiency, natural capital restoration and sustainable agriculture. And the World Bank supports the countries of the region in everything that moves the economy towards green, sustainable and inclusive development.
Central Asian countries have already taken important steps towards a more sustainable and inclusive growth model. By continuing to balance short and medium-term priorities and taking advantage of new technologies, innovation and green finance, Central Asia can recover faster from the pandemic and emerge from the list of the most carbon-intensive economies, writes Anna Bjerde.
Looking ahead, the World Bank will continue to support Central Asian countries to achieve a green, sustainable and inclusive recovery that offers great opportunities for prosperity, benefits all people and leaves no one behind. Because this is truly the way forward.
Turkmenistan fully complies with the obligations under the Paris Agreement and the Framework Convention on Climate Change, which will be reflected in the fourth National Communication on Climate Change and the First Biennial Communication, which are being prepared with the support of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). It is planned that both documents will be submitted to the UN Secretariat in early 2023.
The adoption in 2019 of the new edition of the National Strategy of Turkmenistan on Climate Change provided all the necessary legal, organizational and technological conditions for the implementation of environmental objectives, served as the basis for a radical expansion of the list of adaptation measures. Today, this list covers almost the entire system of economic and industrial activity of the public and private sectors of the economy.
Noting this in his speech at the UN High Level Global Forum on the Extractive Industries in May this year, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stressed that Turkmenistan is making every effort to maintain a balance between production goals and environmental protection objectives.
In recent years, the carbon intensity of products manufactured in Turkmenistan has been steadily decreasing. According to expert estimates carried out within the framework of the third National Communication of Turkmenistan, in the long term until 2030, economic growth will be accompanied by a decrease in the share of energy consumption per unit of GDP. Thus, there will be a downward trend in the growth rate of carbon dioxide emissions to 122.0% in 2025 and to 118.1% in 2030.
The country is widely introducing adaptation measures to restore forests and improve land use to mitigate climate impacts. As part of the National Green Belt Program, extensive forest belts have been created around cities using progressive water-saving irrigation methods. This year alone, it is planned to plant 30 million seedlings in the country. As the head of state emphasized, this work is designed for the long term, will be carried out purposefully and as efficiently as possible, including on the principles of public-private partnership.
Ogulgozel Rejepova