On Tuesday, April 16, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov received the Acting Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Michal Mlynar.

During the meeting, an exchange of views took place on topical issues of cooperation between Turkmenistan and UN-Habitat, an important step in the promotion of which was the appointment in 2020 of the permanent representative of Turkmenistan to the UN Office in Geneva at the same time as permanent representative to the UN Human Settlements Programme.

In 2023, the country joined the UN-Habitat Group of Friends on Sustainable Urbanization and the new Urban Development Program. In this regard, Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted that the issue related to the opening of a UN-Habitat representative office in Turkmenistan was included in the list of proposals of the country at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.

The Head of State proposed, as a first step, to organize a visit to Turkmenistan by a group of experts from the United Nations Human Settlements Programme in order to determine in detail the mechanisms of practical interaction and prepare an appropriate project document.

As noted, new settlements are being built in Turkmenistan, and the city of Arkadag has been built, awarded a UN-Habitat certificate for efforts in implementing the principles of inclusive, safe, sustainable and smart regions and communities.

In continuation of cooperation with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Serdar Berdimuhamedov put forward a number of proposals, including consultations in the field of legislative support for urban planning, the implementation of global programs and strategies for the development of high-tech, environmentally friendly, sustainable cities, public-private partnerships for the creation and management of urban infrastructure. Turkmenistan is also ready to consider counter-proposals from UN-Habitat in these areas.

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