PARTICIPATION OF THE DELEGATION OF TURKMENISTAN IN THE HIGH-LEVEL MEETING OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON REDUCING WASTE TO ZERO

In the period of March 29-31, 2023, a delegation led by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Myahri Byashimova, arrived on a working visit to New York to participate in a high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly on the transition to zero waste as a transformative solution in achieving the sustainable development goals.

As part of her visit, on March 29, at the UN Headquarters, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan held a meeting with Assistant Secretary General, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate N.Gherman.

During the conversation, M. Byashimova reported on the efforts made by Turkmenistan in the fight against terrorism and promotion of regional stability, and expressed the country's readiness to continue close cooperation with the UN and its partners to solve urgent transnational problems.

In turn, N. German highly appreciated the commitment of Turkmenistan to regional peace and security and expressed gratitude for the contribution of Turkmenistan to strengthening tactful interaction with the UN counter-terrorism units.

Also on the same day, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs met with Assistant Secretary General for Europe, CA and America, acting Special representative of the Secretary General for CA M.Jenca, during which they discussed the possibilities of expanding partnerships aimed at strengthening the mechanisms of preventive diplomacy in Central Asia and global level. The parties also considered ways to develop cooperation between Turkmenistan and UNRCCA in strengthening peace and security in the region.

M. Jenca highly appreciated the leadership of Turkmenistan in promoting regional stability and expressed strong support for the country's international initiatives, in particular the organization of a high-level debate at the UN General Assembly on the Zone of peace, trust and cooperation in Central Asia, as well as the creation of the Central Asian Youth Dialogue.

 

On March 30, 2023, the Turkmen delegation took part in the High-Level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on reducing waste to zero, initiated by the Republic of Türkiye.

The meeting was attended by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the First Lady of the Republic of Türkiye Emine Erdogan, the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Maimunah Mohd Sharif, high-level delegations of the Member States, and the heads of relevant specialized agencies of the UN system.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan in his speech during the meeting, expressing gratitude to the Republic of Türkiye for the initiative in organizing the event and launching a global campaign to achieve the zero waste goals, noted the importance of consolidating the efforts of the world community to develop circular economy models that minimize the impact on the environment and thus contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Attention was drawn to the measures taken by Turkmenistan at the national level to establish waste management systems in urban areas, introduce modern technologies for the disposal of household and industrial waste in order to improve the living conditions of the population of Turkmenistan and reduce the gap between the regions due to the advanced development of rural communities.

On the afternoon of 30 March, the delegation of Turkmenistan also took part in a side event to observe the International Day of Zero Waste, organized jointly with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UN-Habitat with the support of the Government of the Republic of Türkiye.

The event also included a presentation of the new modern city of Arkadag, whose model is based on the reconciliation of circular technologies, advanced methods of modern environmentally friendly architecture and building materials, and the principle of zero urban waste.

In particular, the emphasis was placed on demonstrating modern non-waste technologies used in the city, "smart" transport and communication systems and innovative environmental solutions.