On 17 June, a round table was held in Ashgabat on the integration of the principles of neutral balance of land degradation (LDN) into national land use policy. The event was timed to coincide with the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. This was reported by the online publication ‘Turkmenistan: Golden age’.

The event was organised by the Scientific and Information Centre of the Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development, the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea and the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan, with the support of the Global Environment Facility.

Representatives of the Secretariat of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Turkmenistan Parliament, and relevant ministries and agencies took part in the discussion. The main focus was on incorporating LDN principles into the updated National Action Programme to Combat Desertification.

Participants considered issues of strategic planning, coordination of environmental policies and improvement of the legal framework for sustainable land use. Particular attention was paid to the integration of land degradation neutrality principles into the country's land management system.

The event was an important step in the implementation of Turkmenistan's environmental policy and the fulfilment of its international commitments in the field of sustainable development.