SERDAR BERDIMUHAMEDOV, President of Turkmenistan, stressed that the impact of multiple serious challenges may erode global security — the principle of the United Nations.  Turkmenistan thus firmly and persistently upholds the principle of unity of security and its integrity.  In this vein, he insisted that military, political, economic, ecological, energy, transport, food, biological and information security are indivisible.  The main challenge of the Organization is to provide an integral approach to security problems as well as to mobilize the experience, skills, ideas and initiatives of Member States, he observed.  He reiterated the principled position of Turkmenistan:  “The United Nations is the only universal and legitimate organization responsible for peacekeeping and providing global and comprehensive security and stable, modern structure of inter-State relations.”

To overcome distrust and confrontation through open and genuine dialogue under the auspices of the United Nations, he proposed to start discussions on drafting a strategy of global security.  Based on the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law, such a strategy would reflect present realities and trends, including new risks.  Noting such strategies should be anchored in regional contexts, he called for a dialogue between Central Asia and the United Nations.  In this regard, he announced an initiative to hold, under the Organization’s umbrella, the first Conference on Security in Central Asia and Bordering Areas, to be held in Ashgabat in 2024.  It will develop approaches aimed at providing stable, conflict-free development of the region by synchronizing the efforts of multiple actors.

Turning to climate and environmental issues, he said that following the 2017 Paris Agreement on climate change, Turkmenistan has undertaken efforts at the national level reduce and eliminate the adverse impact of methane emissions.  Welcoming the international community’s effort to implement the Global Methane Pledge, he said that his country recently approved a road map to examine its accession to this initiative.  He went on to urge the United Nations to pay close attention to ecological issues in Central Asia, highlighting the need for a strategic approach.  Turkmenistan thus proposes to establish, in Ashgabat, a regional centre for technologies related to climate change in Central Asia.  On the Caspian Sea, he recalled the adoption of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea by the coastal countries.  Expressing hope for their cooperation with the United Nations, he put forward a Caspian ecology initiative — an international platform for interaction on relevant issues.

Turkmenistan has prioritized achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, he noted, drawing attention to their implementation in the field of transport.  To this end, Turkmenistan initiated the establishment of effective dialogue platforms.  These include the 2016 First United Nations Global Conference on Sustainable Transport and the 2022 Ministerial Meeting on Transport for Landlocked Developing Countries, both held in Turkmenistan.  In addition, he pointed out that the General Assembly adopted six resolutions on transport initiated by his country, with the last establishing a World Sustainable Transport Day.  He suggested that, on this occasion, the Assembly consider convening a high-level meeting during its seventy-eighth session.  Highlighting Turkmenistan’s priority to assist the United Nations in providing food security, he proposed to hold — in cooperation with the United Nations, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) — a major international forum on this topic in his country.