On November 9th, Tajikistan's Permanent Representative to the UN, Jonibek Hikmat, met with Vladimir Voronkov, Head of the UN Counter-Terrorism Department (MFA TJ, Avesta). In the course of the meeting, the sides discussed issues of mutual interest in the field of countering terrorism and extremism, including the outcome of the High-Level Conference on International and Regional Border Security and Management Cooperation to Combat Terrorism and Prevent Terrorist Movement, which was held on 18-19 October 2022 in Dushanbe.
On 9-10 November, the 11th meeting of the Turkmen-Tajik inter-governmental commission on trade, economic, scientific, and technical cooperation between Turkmenistan and Tajikistan was held in the capital of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat (BT, MFA TJ, Avesta). The commission was chaired by Tajikistan's Minister of Energy and Water Resources Daler Juma and Turkmenistan's Minister of Finance and Economy Muhammetgeldi Serdarov. During the meeting, the sides noted that cooperation in trade, economic, scientific, and technical spheres between Turkmenistan and Tajikistan is a special area, and reached a number of agreements on the development and expansion of cooperation in existing areas. A Protocol of the 11th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation between the Republic of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan was signed at the end of the meeting.
On the sidelines of the 27th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Sharm El Sheikh between 7-18 November, the Chairman of Tajikistan's Committee on Environmental Protection, Bahodur Sheralizoda, met with Mr John Kerry, the US Special Envoy for Climate Issues (Avesta). Special attention was paid to the initiative of Tajikistan to declare 2025 as the International Year of Glacier Conservation. It was also noted that the Committee and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) are working together in the area of NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions). John Kerry noted the importance and timeliness of Tajikistan's top leadership's global initiatives on climate change and water. Also, the interlocutor informed about the global initiative of the USA and the European Union - Global Methane Commitment, where the joined countries intend to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030.
In other news, the first meeting of the permanent commission for review and assessment of Tajikistan's position in the international rankings was held last week in Dushanbe (Asia Plus). The Commission's goals and objectives, its composition, the report on international rankings, and the action plan of the Permanent Commission for Review and Assessment of the International Rankings of the Republic of Tajikistan for 2022-2023 were discussed at the meeting. A decree of the Tajikistan government approved a list of 26 international rankings in which Commission members will be responsible for improving the country's position. This list includes the Heritage Foundation Economic Freedom Index, the World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index, the United Nations Human Development Programme, and alike. According to experts, a high-ranking position is not only considered prestigious but also economically beneficial, as the mood of potential investors and trading partners may directly depend on the country's ranking.