Empowering Turkmen youth for the climate change action

In the lead up to the Conference of Youth (COY) and 26th session of the Conference of Parties (COP26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UN in Turkmenistan, jointly with the UK Embassy and the Government of Turkmenistan convened the first Youth Conference on Climate in Turkmenistan held in hybrid mode.

The event provided a space for young people of Turkmenistan coming from different parts of the country to share experiences, knowledge, thoughts and ideas for enhanced global climate change action and empowering local youth to discuss key climate change issues impacting Turkmenistan and develop actions needed to address them. It also served as a capacity building activity to educate and enable Turkmen youth to take action on climate change and sustainable development.

“It is just as crucial for communities at the local and regional levels to continue mobilizing in support for more urgent and ambitious climate action”, Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake, the UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth, stressed during the welcoming remarks.

Over 150 youth participants engaged to develop their own positions and strategies to advocate along four thematic areas: Youth driving ambition; Sustainable recovery; Non-state actors’ engagement and Climate-conscious society. During the group work the participants discussed and developed recommendations on how to improve climate resiliency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change for decision makers.

“The role of youth and future generations at such important venues as the Conference of the Parties is invaluable, as it demonstrates and celebrates the actions of young people to combat climate change through various events”, noted Mr. Dmitry Shlapachenko, UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan.

Over the course of the conference, the young people had the chance to communicate the urgency of climate change with their own voices. As a result, the young Turkmen leaders developed the Final Summary of Youth Initiatives in Turkmenistan to be presented at COY16 and Roadmap of solutions to be implemented within the next year. It is expected that the Youth Conference on Climate will be organized by Turkmen youth and held annually.