Statement by President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov at the Leaders’ Summit of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference

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Distinguished Heads of State and Government!
Ladies and Gentlemen!

First of all, allow me to express my sincere appreciation to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, for the excellent organization of the Summit, the hospitality extended to us and the provision of every opportunity for productive work.

This Leaders’ Summit provides a valuable opportunity to reaffirm the shared political will of States to conserve our planet’s biodiversity and to move from the commitments they have undertaken to concrete practical action.

Turkmenistan consistently supports the objectives and principles of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. We proceed from the understanding that biodiversity loss, climate change, desertification and land degradation are interconnected challenges that directly affect countries’ environmental security and sustainable development.

Distinguished Summit Participants!

Turkmenistan, with its unique natural ecosystems, ranging from the Karakum Desert to the Kopetdag and Koytendag mountain ranges and the Caspian Sea coast, regards the conservation of its natural wealth as an important area of State policy.

In this work, we are guided by the following priorities.

First, improving the national system of specially protected natural areas, developing environmental monitoring and protecting rare animal and plant species. An important instrument in this work is Turkmenistan’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2026–2035, developed in cooperation with international partners and taking into account the targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework.

Second, expanding regional cooperation to conserve transboundary ecosystems, animal migration routes and natural resources. We attach particular importance to the environmental well-being of the Caspian Sea, the conservation of the ecosystems of the Aral Sea basin and combating desertification.

We proceed from the understanding that addressing these tasks effectively requires coordinated action by States, science-based decisions and long-term mechanisms for cooperation.

Third, making full use of the potential of the United Nations, its specialized agencies and international environmental mechanisms.

We attach particular importance to cooperation with UNESCO in conserving natural heritage and advancing scientific research. The inclusion of Turkmenistan’s natural areas in the transnational World Heritage property “Cold Winter Deserts of Turan” is a clear example of how international cooperation contributes to the conservation of unique ecosystems.

We consider it important to further develop cooperation with the relevant United Nations agencies, including in the scientific study of natural processes, the conservation of aquatic and marine ecosystems and the improvement of environmental monitoring methods.

I am convinced that the scientific, expert and institutional capacities of the United Nations system must be fully mobilized to achieve global biodiversity conservation goals.

Fourth, ensuring the conditions necessary to fulfil international environmental commitments.

Of paramount importance are developing countries’ access to financial resources and modern technologies, national capacity-building, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources, including digital sequence information on genetic resources.

Distinguished Summit Participants!

During the eighty-first session of the United Nations General Assembly, Turkmenistan will continue to advance initiatives aimed at strengthening international cooperation on environmental security and climate resilience.

In particular, we advocate establishing the Ashgabat Climate Dialogue as an open multilateral platform for regular political and expert engagement, the advancement of practical initiatives and the strengthening of international partnerships.

We attach particular importance to combating desertification and strengthening the resilience of arid regions to the impacts of climate change. In this connection, Turkmenistan is promoting an initiative to establish a Regional Centre to Combat Desertification for the countries of Central Asia.

We regard these areas as an important component of comprehensive international efforts to conserve ecosystems, use natural resources sustainably and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Turkmenistan firmly believes that global environmental goals cannot be achieved without taking into account the interests and specific needs of developing countries, including landlocked countries.

In this regard, particular importance attaches to the outcomes of the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, enshrined in the Awaza Programme of Action for 2024–2034 and the Awaza Political Declaration.

We consider it necessary to intensify international support to expand access to climate and environmental finance, facilitate the transfer of modern environmental and digital technologies, and develop sustainable infrastructure capable of withstanding the impacts of climate change.

The principles of equity, solidarity and equal partnership must underpin international efforts to conserve biodiversity.

Multilateral cooperation mechanisms, including South-South cooperation, have an important role to play in bringing together States’ experience, knowledge and capabilities to achieve shared environmental goals.

I am confident that the forthcoming seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity should give further impetus to the implementation of commitments and the strengthening of international cooperation.

Turkmenistan reaffirms its readiness to engage constructively with all interested States and international organizations.

We believe that combining political will, scientific knowledge and practical capabilities will make it possible to conserve our planet’s natural heritage for present and future generations.

(Yerevan, 16 October 2026)

Source: TDH