Empowering Communities: IOM Promotes Gender-Sensitive Climate Adaptation in Turkmenistan
04 December 2025
Ashgabat, 3 December 2025 – Over 40 decision-makers, technical experts and community representatives — including women heading households of Turkmen migrant families in Dashoguz and Ahal velayats — gained deeper insight into integrating gender-sensitive approaches into climate change adaptation planning at the local level in the course of two-day capacity-building trainings organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in partnership with local administrations in late November 2025.
Led by IOM international expert Zarina Ruzmatova, participants discussed the varied impacts of climate change on local livelihoods, emphasizing the importance of early, gender-responsive adaptation measures. The training highlighted how women, often responsible for household food security and income generation, are disproportionately affected by climate change, and how such challenges may become especially acute in communities facing water scarcity and land degradation.
The training addressed key concepts such as climate vulnerability and gender analysis, and integration of gender perspectives into local planning cycles. Participants explored case studies from Central Asia and reviewed best international practices, deepening their understanding of how gender dynamics influence climate adaptation and how embedding gender considerations into local planning ensures that adaptation strategies are inclusive, equitable and effective.
Building on this foundation, participants engaged in hands-on exercises and group work. They were equipped with practical tools, including frameworks for collecting gender-disaggregated data, methods for conducting inclusive consultations and approaches to gender-responsive budgeting. Each group developed a draft local adaptation plan featuring gender-transformative strategies — such as ensuring equitable access to resources and establishing leadership quotas for women in water management committees. Additionally, participants learned to design gender-sensitive indicators for monitoring and evaluation, supporting accountability and measurable impact.
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The capacity building trainings in Dashoguz and Ahal velayats have been conducted as part of the IOM two-year project “Improving Adaptive Capacity of Local Communities to Water Shortages and Land Degradation in Two Climatic Hazard Affected Regions of Turkmenistan” implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Environment Protection of Turkmenistan, with funding from the IOM Development Fund. The project aims to contribute to Turkmenistan's climate change adaptation efforts by engaging key national stakeholders at the local level in Akhal and Dashoguz velayats — including local administrations, self-governance bodies, families of migrants staying behind and women-led households — to promote gender-sensitive climate change adaptation solutions.
IOM contact person in Turkmenistan:
Kachara Beshimova, Project Manager
Tel.: +99364 43 24 14
Email: kbeshimova@iom.int
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