Cotton production plays an important role in the economies of both Türkiye and Turkmenistan. Providing the basic input for the textile industry, cotton contributes to the export revenue of the country and the improvement in livelihoods of thousands of farmers and workers engaged in the cotton value chain. In order to facilitate dialogue and explore potential collaborations between Türkiye and Turkmenistan, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) facilitated a visit for Turkish cotton experts to Turkmenistan, and in this context, organized a workshop on “Improvement of cotton production and mechanized harvesting in Turkmenistan” in Ashgabat on 8 September 2022. The workshop took place at the premises of the Turkmen Agricultural University named after S.A. Niyazov and was preceded by technical visits to nearby cotton-related facilities including a machinery park (in Akbugday district), a ginning factory (in Gokdepe district), a textile factory (in Ashgabat) and the Institute of Deserts, Flora and Fauna under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan. The participants of the workshop included officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, as well as Merdan Piriyev, Vice-rector for Scientific Work at Turkmen Agricultural University named after S.A. Niyazow, academics, representatives of relevant public institutions, experts from the General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies of Türkiye, and experts from FAO. At the opening of the workshop, academics from the university explained that Turkmenistan now harvests almost all of its cotton by machine, noting that the government procured 1 000 modern harvesters for this purpose from abroad and distributed them to machine parks in 38 districts across the five regions of the country – Ahal, Balkan, Dashoguz, Lebap and Mary. They also stressed that, since 2017, the expansion of mechanized harvesting, with government-trained operators, has provided producers with harvesting services similar to other services such as sowing, fertilization, weeding and pesticide spraying. Observations from the Turkish delegation Tijen Ozudogru of the Agricultural Economics and Policy development  Institute in Türkiye stated that “overall planning and support services provided by the government constitute the main reason for the relatively faster introduction of mechanization for harvesting in Turkmenistan”. Mehmet Demirtas, a cotton expert from the Cotton Research Institute located in Nazilli, Türkiye, indicated that “the number of harvesters cited by the Ministry would be sufficient for machine harvesting in the country, as long as these are used efficiently”. Serife Balci, cotton breeder at the Cotton Research Institute, explained that harvest mechanization in Türkiye has developed significantly over the last two decades, in the process accumulating significant experience.” Balci further added that “the Cotton institute is willing to share this experience to further improve the efficiency of machine harvesting in Turkmenistan and other countries” in the region. Huseyin Erdikli, another expert from the same institute, stressed that “there is enormous potential for collaboration particularly on the development of cotton varieties that are more productive and suitable for mechanized harvesting”. At the closing of the workshop, FAO Agriculture Office Fazil Dusunceli stated that “FAO is very pleased to facilitate this collaboration between the two countries and recognizes that there are numerous areas where further collaboration can be developed not only on cotton improvement and mechanization but also in other areas of agriculture”. Dusunceli also acknowledged the willingness and enthusiasm shown by both parties to further improve this dialogue and develop future collaborations. He concluded the workshop by thanking the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan for hosting the visit and the workshop, and the Turkish delegation for sharing their experience. The discussions during the visits and the workshop showed that Turkmenistan has made significant progress in recent years in improving cotton production through the transition to machinery harvesting, and in developing its textile industry. It is evident that the country has acquired significant experience in this sector which can benefit other countries. At the same, there is a great scope for further improvement of cotton productivity and efficiency of harvesting by machine harvesters, particularly through improvement in crop production techniques, training and the development of varieties more suitable for harvesting by machinery. In this respect, experts from both Turkmenistan and Türkiye expressed their willingness to collaborate on such areas and invited FAO to facilitate this cooperation. LINKS: Cotton: Markets and trade Cotton sustainability is key for rural development Recent trends and prospects in the world cotton market and policy developments CONTACT: KIVANÇ ÖZCAN Communication Specialist FAO Türkiye Kivanc.Ozcan@fao.org Journalists and editors:
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It was shared that according to ESCAP 2020 study, despite the progress achieved in the recent years in North and Central Asia, the subregion continues to suffer from high transport costs and low transport connectivity levels, shortages in the transport infrastructure coverage and operational weakness in freight transport operations. The presenters also informed that the relatively low level of digitalization and facilitation of cross-border transport and trade operations add up to existing challenges. Benefits from the successful implementation of cross- border paperless trade are large. In this respect, the Framework Agreement on facilitation of cross-border paperless trade provides promising avenues for the parties to progress together. “Based on this evidence UN Resident Coordinator’s Office facilitated a transport policy dialogue with the Government experts promoting digitalization of trade as one of the solutions. I am happy to acknowledge high level of evidence uptake for decision-making – in April 2022, the country adopted the Law on joining the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-Border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific”, noted Dmitry Shlapachenko, UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan. “…It would not be an exaggeration to say that almost all international trade today is facilitated and enabled by digital and communication technologies. In this sense, almost all international trade today is digitalized. The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the urgency for governments and businesses to ramp up digitalization to better facilitate trade and to ensure smoother movement of goods, especially essential and critical goods. In this regard, accelerating the implementation of trade facilitation measures and digitalizing procedures is more crucial than ever to make trade more resilient and inclusive” noted Rupa Chanda, Director, Trade, Investment and Innovation Division, ESCAP. Participants of the national consultation agreed to further exchange ideas of how to better implement the recommendations of the Readiness Assessment for Cross-border Paperless Trade in Turkmenistan report according to the proposed Action Plan.

New York, 19 September – With COVID-19 exposing the fault-lines of education systems globally, more than 130 countries committed today to rebooting their education systems and accelerating action to end the learning crisis, at the UN Transforming Education Summit. The Summit deals with a crisis in education that has seen some 147 million students missing over half of their in-person instruction, since 2020.  In 2021, 244 million children and young people were out of school. The pandemic has harmed the learning of more than 90 % of the world’s children – the largest disruption in history – with half of all countries cutting their education budgets, further deepening the crisis. It is now estimated that 64.3 % of 10-year-olds are unable to read and understand a simple story. This means that, in a few years, 1 out of 3 persons will be unable to understand this very text, while 840 million young people will leave school in their teens with no qualifications for the workplace of the future. Yet less than half of countries have strategies to help children catch up. If that fails to happen, these students stand to lose $10 trillion in earnings over their working lives. “Instead of being the great enabler, education is fast becoming the great divider,” stated the UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “The rich have access to the best resources, schools and universities, leading to the best jobs while the poor – especially girls – face huge obstacles to getting the qualifications that could change their lives.” 130 countries commit to prioritize education  The commitments came after 115 national consultations that brought together leaders, teachers, students, civil society and other partners to gather collective recommendations on the most urgent asks. Nearly half of the countries prioritized measures to address ​learning loss, while a third of countries committed to supporting the psycho-social well-being of both students and teachers.​ Two in three countries ​also referenced measures to offset the direct and indirect costs of education for​ economically vulnerable communities, and 75% of countries underlined the importance of ​gender-sensitive education policies in their commitments. These statements underscored the role of education in achieving all the Sustainable Development Goals and linkages with the climate crises, conflict and poverty. Measures addressed COVID-19 recovery and getting back on track on the SDGs, while emphasizing the need for innovations in education to prepare the learners of today for a rapidly changing world. Key initiatives established, including biggest-ever investment in education The Secretary-General and Gordon Brown, the UN Special Envoy for Global Education, together announced the International Financing Facility for Education (IFFEd), the first-of-its-kind finance facility developed in partnership with the Governments of Sweden, the UK, the Netherlands as well as the Asian and African Development Banks. The IFFEd will provide an initial $2 billion in additional affordable funding for education programs to be disbursed starting in 2023 and could unlock an extra $10 billion of additional financing for education and skills by 2030. UNESCO and UNICEF launched Gateways to Public Digital Learning, a global multi-partner initiative to create and strengthen inclusive digital learning platforms and content. A Commitment to Action on Education in Crisis Situations was also revealed, as a commitment by member states and partners to transform education systems to better prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from crises. Calls to action were also announced on addressing the learning crisis by boosting foundational learning, advancing gender equality through and in education, and a Greening Education Partnership developed in response to the Secretary-General’s call that the climate crisis is ‘a battle for our lives’. Youth Declaration urges global leaders to act now On the opening day of the 3-day Summit, youth advocates shared a Youth Declaration with the Secretary-General, laying out their collective recommendations to policymakers on the transformation they want to see, along with their commitments for action on education. The Youth Declaration is a culmination of a months-long process of consultations, reflecting contributions from almost half a million young people. The Declaration states that “in order to redeem and remake the state of the world, we must first transform the state of education.” The Declaration demands that decision-makers include youth in education-related policy design and implementation, as partners and not just beneficiaries. It also demands investment in youth leadership and in gender-transformative education. Speaking at the launch, the Secretary-General underscored that if there was one seed to prevent climate change, violent conflict or poverty, it was education. During the Summit, the Secretary-General was also handed an open call to leaders to expand the right to free education for all children. The call was facilitated by Avaaz and endorsed by UN Messenger of Peace and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and climate activist Vanessa Nakate, and human rights champions. Secretary-General sets out education vision, paving way to Summit of the Future The Secretary-General’s Vision Statement released at the Summit lays out a path for education in the 21st century. It serves as an input to negotiations in preparation of the Summit of the Future which will be held at the UN General Assembly in 2024. The statement insists on continued global mobilization after the success of the Summit, and on Member States and partners keeping the flame of transformation burning. “We must push forward together, with a focus on tangible actions where it matters most: on the ground, in the classroom, and in the experience of teachers and learners alike.” The SDG 4 High-Level Steering Committee will be responsible for the follow-up process to further shape the future of education and meet 2030 SDG Education targets. The Committee will continue to monitor progress, promote and facilitate knowledge and practice exchange, engage youth, and champion cross-sector and multilateral cooperation. ### Key Transforming Education Summit links: Website: https://www.un.org/en/transforming-education-summit Programme: https://www.un.org/en/transforming-education-summit/programme Follow live: UN WebTV Press kit: Trello Media Contacts (interviews are available upon request)  Abdel-Rahman Ghandour, Head of Communications and Advocacy, Transforming Education Summit Secretariat, ghandour@unesco.org Langqi Xhao, Media Coordination, Transforming Education Summit Secretariat, xhao@unesco.org Francyne Harrigan, Chief, Sustainable Development, UN Department of Global Communications, harriganf@un.org Social Media  Twitter: @TransformingEdu LinkedIn: Education2030UN ➡️ Transforming Education Hashtag: #TransformingEducation

The UNDCO Regional Director was received in Ashgabat by H.E. Mr. Rashid Meredov, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. The UNDCO Regional Director commended the Government of Turkmenistan for the support in elevating to the new level the strategic partnership between Turkmenistan and UN. Ms. Son congratulated Turkmenistan on the upcoming Independence Day and 30th anniversary of its membership in the United Nations. At the meeting the parties exchanged views on the progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals within the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2021-2025 which is co-financed by the Government.  Among the topics discussed were the Transforming Educational Summit in New York and the support the United Nations system, led by UNICEF and UNESCO, will provide to the Government in fulfilling its goals.  The sides also discussed health, environment and the promotion of human rights. Ms. Son commended the efforts of the Government in its effort to establish a Regional Centre for Climate change mitigating technologies which aims to assist counties of Central Asia.   UNDCO Regional Director appreciated the release of the findings of the survey on Health and Status of a Woman in the Family and she also encouraged for the active engagement with other HR mechanisms. UNDCO Regional Director appreciated the release of the findings of the survey on Health and Status of a Woman in the Family and she also encouraged for the active engagement with other HR mechanisms. Ms. Son had bilateral meetings with Deputy Chairmen of the Cabinet of Ministers on Health, Education and Sports as well as on Agriculture and Environment along with a meeting with the Minister of Finance. During the meetings the cooperation on post Covid-19 recovery was stressed, including measures to strengthen public finance management, support investments in human capital and environment. She had also meetings with civil society organizations including Yenme, Keyik Okara, Center for support of people with disabilities, Physical-Sport Club of people with disabilities, Beyik Ynam, Agama, Yashyl Shohle, Society of Environment Protection of Turkmenistan, Eco Durmush, Society of Economics and Accountants of Turkmenistan where the development of partnership with UN Country Team was stressed. UNDCO Regional Director has also met with over 100 students and Young SDG Ambassadors where she spoke about the role of youth in realization of Sustainable Development Goals in Turkmenistan and encouraged Turkmen youth to be part of this important work.