On 22 July 2025, a working meeting was held at the office of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in Turkmenistan with Mergen Kepbanov, Director of the Project Office of the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) in Turkmenistan, according to CAREC.

The EBRD was represented by Eric Livny, Head of the EBRD Office in Turkmenistan, Anna Kresic, Head of Regional Policy for Central Asia and Mongolia, Nurgul Esenamanova, Head of Regional Policy and Strategy at the EBRD’s Permanent Representation in Bishkek, Aida Rysbekova, Analyst in the Economics Department, and Benjamin Peel, Chief Specialist on Climate and Nature Conservation. The EBRD representatives outlined the development of the bank’s new five-year environmental strategy and expressed interest in exploring CAREC’s priorities and expertise to identify potential areas for further collaboration.

Mergen Kepbanov presented CAREC’s activities, detailing its mission, objectives, structure, and offices across Central Asian countries. He highlighted key initiatives, including the Central Asian Conference on Climate Change (CACCC-2025), held in May 2025 in Turkmenistan with support from the Government of Turkmenistan, the World Bank, and GIZ. The conference, which attracted over 600 participants, served as a significant platform for discussing climate change issues.

Kepbanov proposed collaboration in waste management, emphasizing its importance for Turkmenistan. He noted that the country has a 2015 Law on Waste, supplemented by secondary legislation, and referenced a previously implemented project to develop a thematic waste management compendium.

Additionally, Kepbanov discussed other CAREC projects, including the Central Asian Leadership Programme on Environment for Sustainable Development (CALP), the regional component of the One Health program, the Blue Peace initiative for equitable water resource management in collaboration with IWMI, as well as projects on methane emission reduction in the oil and gas sector (CA CBMER) and climate risk management.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the parties reaffirmed their commitment to further cooperation. EBRD representatives emphasized their interest in deepening the partnership with CAREC, particularly on joint environmental and sustainable development projects.