Turkmenistan Promotes Sustainable Urban Transport at High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

High-ranking UN officials and UN member states representatives  attended the event, including Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP); Michal Mlynar, Deputy Executive Director of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat); Dmitry Maryasin, Deputy Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE); Ciyong Zou, Deputy to the Director General and the Managing Director of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Industrial Development (UNIDO); Jamil Ahmad, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs of the UN Environment Programme of the New York office (UNEP); Igor Runov, Executive Secretary of the International Center for Transport Diplomacy (ICTD); and representatives of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the Partnership for Sustainable Low-Carbon Transportation (SLOCAT).

During the opening remarks, Ambassador Atayeva, the Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan to the UN, highlighted the importance of exchanging experiences among nations to expedite the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. She also announced that Turkmenistan would soon present its second voluntary national review, which would showcase the country's progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, M.Byashimova, highlighted Turkmenistan's efforts in promoting transport sustainability through UN General Assembly resolutions, including the Global Conference on Sustainable Transport in 2016 and the Ministerial Transport Conference for Landlocked Developing Countries in 2022. She presented Arkadag as a flagship project aimed at improving the welfare and living conditions of Turkmenistan's population, with its smart infrastructure, advanced urban planning methods, and commitment to environmental sustainability being recognized as significant contributions to the nation's socio-economic development.

The event's participants expressed their commitment to collaborate with the Government of Turkmenistan and UN specialized agencies to support the implementation of the ambitious Arkadag City project. They also commended Turkmenistan's initiative in securing the UN General Assembly's adoption of a resolution declaring November 26 as World Sustainable Transport Day. Furthermore, the forthcoming high-level meeting of the 78th session of the General Assembly on sustainable transport, scheduled for November this year, was acknowledged as a crucial milestone.

The proposal put forth by Turkmenistan to convene joint meetings of the Group of Friends of Sustainable Transport, co-chaired by Turkmenistan, and the Group of Friends of UN-Habitat received resounding support. These meetings will aim to bolster the sustainability of urban transport systems.

Concluding the event, the Turkmenistan delegation held bilateral meetings with Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of the UN-Habitat, and Dmitry Maryasin, Deputy Executive Secretary of the UNECE. The discussions revolved around expanding partnerships, enhancing collaboration with UN organizations, and exploring joint initiatives in transport, energy, water resources management, ecology, and urban development.