Ashgabat, Turkmenistan — 22 January 2026 — Today, the Third meeting of the Steering Committee of the project “EU for a Green Turkmenistan: Policy Dialogue and Climate Action 2024–2028,” co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Foreign Office and implemented by GIZ was held at the Yyldyz Hotel in Ashgabat.

The co-financed European Union project “EU for a green Turkmenistan: Policy Dialogue and Climate Action 2024–2029,” is part of the Green Central Asia II programme. It complements the regional Team Europe initiative on water, energy and climate change in Central Asia and contributes to the EU Global Gateway strategy.

The project aims to promote sustainable green development in Turkmenistan through the introduction of international best practices and EU standards. A particular focus is placed on building effective partnerships between the European Union and Turkmenistan’s public institutions, facilitating expert knowledge exchange, and strengthening institutional and human capacity. In addition, the activities include the implementation of two pilot projects demonstrating effective and practical climate change adaptation measures.

The main objective of the third Steering Committee meeting was to review the project’s implementation results for 2025, discuss and approve the operational plan for 2026, and endorse the annual budget. Special attention was given to the implementation of pilot activities, including the use of solar energy and biological methods for drainage water treatment, as well as the application of LDAR (Leak Detection and Repair) technologies to reduce methane emissions.

The meeting brought together authorised representatives of relevant sectoral ministries and agencies of Turkmenistan, the Delegations of the European Union to Turkmenistan and tot he Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Turkmenistan. A key outcome of the meeting was the announcement of an additional EUR 2 million in funding from the European Union to expand the project’s activities. This decision, taken in recognition of the successful start and effective implementation of the project, underlines the high level of trust between the partners and their shared commitment to strengthening climate cooperation in Turkmenistan.