A five-day training workshop on the promotion of green economy principles, sustainable development and energy efficiency took place in Dushanbe last week.  

Organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, the event reportedly aimed at facilitating an exchange of views and best practices on resource efficiency, renewable energy, green technologies, harmonization of environmental legislation and sustainable cities in the context of sustainable development goals.

According to the OSCE Programme Office, some 40 participants from the Ministry of Economy and Trade, the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, the governmental Committee on Environmental Protection, civil society, including representatives of the OSCE-supported Aarhus Centers, and youth attended the workshop.

To demonstrate the best practices of energy efficiency, the training participants visited secondary school #11 in Norak City, where energy efficient equipment is being installed with the support of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe.  Secondary school #11 was selected by the Committee on Environmental Protection and the Norak City Educational Department so that the younger generation can learn about resource and energy efficiency in practice and acquire energy saving skills.

“Green economy principles comply with key governmental policies focusing on the efficient and rational use of the Tajikistan’s natural resources, overcoming social and economic challenges, improving living standards and ensuring environmental sustainability,” said Aykhon Sharipova, Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on Environment Protection.

“Greening the economy, an approach to foster a healthy economy while ensuring environmental sustainability and social equity, is considered to be one of the most promising ways to achieve sustainable development, and therefore the green economy topic has been one of the priorities of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe for the last years,” said Ambassador Tuula Yrjölä, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe.  “The OSCE contributes to the transition to a green and inclusive economy in the OSCE region by empowering civil society and communities to promote the efficient use of resources. It does so in strong partnership with primarily the government but also with other stakeholders, in order to jointly address environmental and security challenges.”