UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2021-2025)
UNECE is a signatory of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework and contributes in particular to the following strategic priorities:
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Outcome 1.1: By 2025, people have access to more effective, innovative, and transparent public administration based upon the rule of law, human rights, gender equality, labour rights, and quality data.
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Outcome 2.1: By 2025, conditions for sustainable and inclusive economic diversification are strengthened with competitive private and financial sectors, enhanced trade and investment promotion, and the adoption of new and digital technologies.
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Outcome 2.2: By 2025, there is effective design and implementation of disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation and mitigation measures, enabling a more rational use of resources, increased resilience, and a ‘green’ economy transition.
UNECE works in close cooperation with the Resident Coordinator and the United Nations Country Team.
Key highlights
Energy
UNECE organized a “Hard Talk” in February 2024 to discuss avenues to develop sustainable energy, enhancing synergies between renewable energy and natural gas, and increasing the uptake of renewable energy in Turkmenistan.
Tajikistan is among the beneficiary countries of a project to improve the energy efficiency of the global building supply chain industry and its products to deliver high performance buildings.
In addition, UNECE is finalizing country analysis on sustainable hydrogen production and export potential.
Environment
Turkmenistan is a Party to the Aarhus Convention. It is encouraged to accede to the other Conventions and Protocols, in particular, the Protocols on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers and on Water and Health, and the Conventions on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents, on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (Air Convention), and the Espoo Convention.
A new five-year project “Regional mechanisms for the low-carbon, climate-resilient transformation of the energy-water-land Nexus in Central Asia” is aimed at improving the management of water, energy, land, and environmental resources in Central Asia in the face of climate change. The project will build on the platform provided by the Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) (SDG9, SDG11 and SDG13).
Forests
Challenges of the forest sector in Turkmenistan include land degradation, a low forest cover, insufficient capacities of national forest management institutions, and the dependency of rural communities on forest services and products due to limited income opportunities.
UNECE supports national policy programs and forest governance to mitigate and adapt to climate change and foster sustainable development and resource management (SDG12, SDG13 and SDG15).
Ashgabat joined the Trees in Cities Challenge in 2021. Other cities are invited to join.
Gender equality
The standards body of Turkmenistan is invited to sign the Declaration on Gender-Responsive Standards and Standards Development ((SDG5, SDG9 and SDG12).
Statistics
UNECE provides support for official statistics in Turkmenistan through the ongoing Global Assessment of the National Statistical System (ongoing) and in the environmental field also through the activities of the UNECE Joint Task Force on Environmental Statistics and Indicators (SDG11).
Trade
UNECE has provided continued assistance to Turkmenistan to become a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and will prepare the country’s assessment of readiness to implement the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, as well as a study on regulatory and procedural barriers to trade.
In addition, UNECE is leading work on the digitalization of trade and transport data and document exchange
A strong supporter of SPECA, Turkmenistan has adopted the SPECA Strategy on Innovation for Sustainable Development, as well as the SPECA Principles of Sustainable Trade (SDG8, SDG9, SDG12).
UNECE supports the country in developing the use of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to deliver bankable projects in support of the SDGs, including training on its PPP and Infrastructure Evaluation and Rating System (PIERS).
Transport
As a landlocked country, Turkmenistan heavily relies on inland transport for its economic development and trade.
Turkmenistan has acceded to 16 UN legal instruments on inland transport, including 3 in 2022.
It is invited to connect the national custom system with the eTIR international system to facilitate and simplify borders crossing procedures by digitalizing TIR-related transport documents.
Current UNECE projects in the country include: the Euro-Asian Transport Links Project (EATL), and sustainable mobility and smart connectivity (trade and transport nexus) in Central Asia, the Caucasus and Western Balkans (SDG8 and SDG9).
Urban development
UNECE stands ready to support the country in developing sustainable housing and urban polices on the basis of relevant policy documents, including The Geneva UN Charter on Sustainable Housing, The Place and Life in the ECE - A Regional Action Plan 2030: Tackling challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, climate and housing emergencies in region, city, neighbourhood and homes, The Geneva Declaration of Mayors and San Marino Declaration (SDG3 and SDG11).