Turkmenistan is on transition path from management of disasters to management of risks

The high-level online meeting focused on implementation of the UNDRR’s Central Asia Initiative “Strengthening disaster resilience and accelerating implementation of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in Central Asia 2019-2022” funded by the European Union. Participants discussed key issues that will accelerate the implementation of the Sendai Framework in coherence with the Sustainable Development Goals in Turkmenistan.

Elena Panova, the UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan particularly underlined the significant role of the Main Department of Civil Defense and Rescue Operations of Ministry of Defense of Turkmenistan in guiding, facilitating, and monitoring implementation of national DRR commitments, and cooperation in upcoming initiatives on local, national and regional level.

The Department was assigned by the Government of Turkmenistan as Coordinators for monitoring and reporting the implementation of Sendai Framework for DRR in the country, to ensure quantitative and qualitative aspects of the monitoring and reporting process. In addition, the Department has been identified as the main responsible party to the activities of Annual Joint Action Plan for 2020 under the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Government of Turkmenistan and the United Nations Country Office in coordination in emergency preparedness and response, which was signed on July 1, 2019.

Mr. Octavian Bivol, Chief of UNDRR Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia reaffirmed UNDRR’s support to the priority directions set by the Government of Turkmenistan on reducing the negative impact of natural and man-made hazards, and on transition path from management of disasters to management of risks.

Participants discussed the objectives of the European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction (EFDRR), which serves as the regional platform for disaster risk reduction. Turkmenistan’s participation in the EFDRR on November 2-5, 2021 in Matosinhos, Portugal will demonstrate country’s commitment to improved governance in strengthening disaster resilience and the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.