On 13 and 14 April 2026, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized Model OSCE addressing climate change and security issues for students from Turkmenistan’s institutions of higher education.

The event helped youth representatives better understand the linkages between climate change and security and enhanced their dialogue, negotiation and consensus-building skills through a simulation of the OSCE decision-making process.

Focusing on climate change as a factor of regional security, the Model OSCE shared insights into consensus-based diplomacy and confidence-building mechanisms. An international trainer who facilitated the event remotely explored links between climate change, environmental degradation and security risks emphasizing that they can be tackled by combining experience with energy, policy with participation, and inclusivity with innovation.

“Climate change is a challenge that touches all three dimensions of OSCE security, impacting economies, affecting human security, and sometimes even exacerbating political tensions,” said William Leaf, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

“Recognizing that young people are key agents of change, the OSCE attaches special importance to engaging youth to ensures that climate solutions are not only inclusive but also forward-looking, sustainable and effective,” he underscored.

“It is our strong belief that this initiative will contribute to fostering a new generation of climate leaders, ready to engage in dialogue, negotiation, and action,” added Leaf.

National trainers stimulated lively discussions on how the OSCE approach can be used to facilitate dialogue, prevent tensions, and strengthen co-operation and facilitated simulation of the OSCE decision-making process on a climate-related issue. Participants highlighted the importance of building consensus as an effective decision-making mechanism and gained practical experiences of debating vital topics, applying negotiation techniques and reaching compromise.

The seminar brought together some twenty-five youth activists and students from the Institute of International relations of the Ministry of foreign affairs of Turkmenistan, International University for Humanities and Development, International Oil and Gas University named after Yagshygeldi Kakayev and Oguz Han Engineering and Technology University.