UNDP Resident Representative in Turkmenistan Narine Sahakyan and Deputy Resident Representative Tomica Paovic made a working visit to Lebap velayat. This was reported by the news website Turkmenportal.

During the visit, they took part in a marathon dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the UN and held a series of meetings with local partners. N. Sahakyan noted that marathons in five velayats of the country symbolise solidarity and commitment to the principles of peace, healthy lifestyles and sustainable development.

During a meeting with the Deputy Governor of Lebap velayat, Shohrat Hojanazarov, they discussed cooperation on the UNDP and GEF project aimed at preserving land resources and ecosystems in the Aral Sea basin.

N. Sahakyan also met with project participants – women entrepreneurs, including an initiative group of beekeepers developing sustainable sources of income in the context of climate change.

In addition, the UNDP Permanent Representative took part in the award ceremony for the ‘Green Ideas: Women and Climate’ competition, which promotes innovative business projects in the Lebap and Dashoguz velayats.

The second phase of the ‘Future Skills Academy’ initiative was launched in Turkmenabat as part of a regional project to support sustainable communities, funded by the Government of Japan.

Participants in the event learned about the academy's programme, training and employment opportunities, and took part in the ‘Connect and Impress’ job fair.