Ashgabat, 3 December 2009. The UN Development Program’ project «Conservation and Sustainable Use of Globally Significant Biological Diversity in Khazar Nature Reserve on the Caspian Sea Coast», being jointly implemented with the Global Environmental Facility and the Ministry of Nature Protection of Turkmenistan, at the end of November in Belek settlement of Balkan province held training on «Joint planning at the local level».

The training was attended by local governors (archins) of Turkmenbashy and Esenguly districts, representatives from Balkan province, Khazar city, Esenguly, Turkmenbashy districts municipalities as well as specialists of Khazar state reserve and project local assistants.

The main objective of the training was to train archins of Esenguly, Turkmenbashy and the Khazar city to fundamental principles of participatory planning at the local level as well as basis of preparing community plan of social and economic development for Belek settlement for 2010-2014 based on participation of local people.

Training on joint planning at the local level was prepared at the request of Turkmenbashy district municipality and was conducted as practical exercise so that archins and specialists of municipalities could practically master the methodology of joint planning at the local level and could use it in their settlements. Participants of the trainings were introduced to theory of joint planning and the use of grant opportunities of international organizations for implementation of local projects. As a result of it a preliminary plan of actions for the Belek settlement for 2010-2014 years was developed.

In feedback forms participants noted that the subject area of the training was very urgent and timely. It is expected, that the training would facilitate to development of new approaches in the work of local administration with local population and contribute to the program of development of coastal settlements serving to the purpose of decreasing pressure on biological resources of Caspian Sea.