IOM builds national capacities on human mobility management in the context of adaptation to climate change

At the national level, the IOM experts jointly with the specialists from the University of Vienna walked the senior level officials from the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Agriculture, the State Statistics Committee, the State Migration Service, the State Committee for Water Management, the State Association of Livestock and Poultry Industry through a newly developed Supplement on human mobility to the UNFCCC Technical Guidance on National Adaptation Planning Process that is meant to support Turkmenistan in integrating human mobility issues into the national planning and reporting processes on climate change adaptation.

The Supplement features practical recommendations and tools for every stage of development of the National Adaptation Plan. In the course of discussions, representatives of relevant national entities expressed their support for integration of human mobility considerations into the national planning on climate change adaptation. As was noted during the discussions, one of the priorities in this work should be risk reduction, early warning and early action measures that enhance climate resilient development and offer people the choice to stay in dignity and safety in their areas of origin. 

IOM experts also provided consultations and support to the relevant government stakeholders in preparations to the upcoming 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), highlighting the achievements and challenges facing Turkmenistan in addressing the drivers of migration due to climate change. 

At the regional level, IOM experts have built capacities of the statistical entities at the velayat and etrap level at a workshop in Dashoguz on the household survey methodology developed by IOM together with experts of the University of Vienna ahead of a gender-sensitive case study on climate change and human mobility nexus in Dashoguz region. This case study is expected to explore the complex relationship between people’s decision to move or stay in the context of climate change impact in different contexts. The workshop provided in-depth information about various aspects of the upcoming case study, research objectives, methodology, reviewed the data collection and analysis tools.

The IOM project “Mainstreaming the Migration, Environment and Climate Change Nexus into Climate-Related National Planning Processes” is funded by the IOM Development Fund. The project has raised awareness, deepened understanding and built capacities of relevant national stakeholders on integration of human mobility considerations into Turkmenistan’s climate change adaptation plan through training and workshops as well as recommendations for alignment of major policies, legislation and strategies of Turkmenistan with the UNFCCC's migration-related recommendations with the objective to contribute to enhancing climate change adaptation and climate resilience in Turkmenistan.