Turkmenistan and UNOPS: new landmarks of cooperation for
the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals

The Editorial Office of the “Foreign Policy and Diplomacy of
Turkmenistan” magazine interviewed Ms. Freya von Groote,
Director of the UNOPS Multi-country Office in Austria, who told
about the key vectors of cooperation of UNOPS with Turkmenistan.
United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is the operational
arm of the United Nations implementing unit projects for the UN
system. What are the priority tasks for UNOPS?
As a member of the United Nations family, UNOPS has a mandate,
expertise and experience in providing project, infrastructure and
procurement support and services to Governments, UN agencies and
other development partners.
UNOPS is a unique organization among the UN system. It does not
receive any core contributions from Member States, but entirely depends
on projects on a full cost recovery basis. This allows UNOPS to remain
flexible and agile to optimally meet the needs of partners quickly and
efficiently.
UNOPS has been growing significantly over the past year. In 2020, we
implemented over 1,000 projects in over 80 countries around the globe,
and in total, delivered over 2.2 billion dollars of assistance. We also
have vast experience in providing support to various partners in the
Europe and Central Asia Region, and have been implementing a variety
of projects, including to supply critical medical equipment and supplies,
construct school facilities and provide technical assistance on climate
change.
We are excited to now operate in Turkmenistan, and we look forward to
working closely with the Government, the UN Country Team and other
partners in facilitating Turkmenistan’s journey towards the Sustainable
Development Goals.
UNOPS provides important assistance to countries in progress towards
the Sustainable Development Goals, including by providing expert
skills. Tell us about the prospects for UNOPS cooperation with
Turkmenistan in this context?

UNOPS is already working with the UN Country Team, and under the
leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator, to identify ways in which it
can partner with the Government, the rest of the UN system and other
development partners to help implement the UN Sustainable
Development Cooperation Framework. Our projects and activities will
focus on facilitating the achievement of the national development
priorities and needs, and implemented in line with UN’s values and
principles, as well as UNOPS’ drive for operational excellence.
More specifically, we will be exploring partnerships and initiatives in
areas including health systems strengthening, and climate change
mitigation and adaptation. UNOPS will offer its global expertise and
experience in these areas and beyond to ensure that a variety of
development projects are managed effectively, the relevant
infrastructure assets are made available, and various essential goods and
services are sourced and provided in a fair, transparent and cost-
effective manner.
The UNOPS office has successfully started its activities in
Turkmenistan. What are the joint projects in cooperation with the
Government of Turkmenistan planned to be implemented in the first
stages?
UNOPS will work in the coming weeks and months to strengthen
Turkmenistan’s pandemic preparedness and health systems for the
benefit of the country’s population and medical professionals. Thanks to
the generous contribution of the Government of Japan, a strong global
partner of UNOPS, we will deliver a 2.8 million USD initiative to this
end until March 2022. UNOPS will closely coordinate and collaborate
with the Government, as well as the World Health Organization, to
procure and deliver medical equipment and supplies to approximately 15
hospitals and health centers. UNOPS will also ensure that medical staff
is trained and warranty arrangements are put in place to optimize service
delivery and sustainability.
What areas will be focused on activities of the UNOPS Office in
Ashgabat?
Looking ahead, UNOPS will work with the UN system, the Government
and other development partners, and make available our project,
infrastructure and procurement services that are in line with our mandate
as the operational arm of the UN.

We are confident that UNOPS and the expert support that we are able to
provide through our mandate, will make strong contributions and allow
us to maintain a long-term presence in your country.
How do you rate regional and international transport, energy and
humanitarian initiatives and projects of Turkmenistan in the context
of achieving the SDGs?
Effective transport and energy infrastructure and initiatives are
becoming increasingly critical in ensuring the achievement of the
Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the green transition that is
required under the Paris Agreement.
Accordingly, these national needs and priorities are reflected under the
respective development plans, and the UN system is working to
facilitate their implementation through the UN Sustainable Development
Cooperation Framework for Turkmenistan.
UNOPS looks forward to adding value to these efforts, and working
with the Government and the UN system to add value in these areas in
its mandate areas and expertise in project, infrastructure and
procurement management. We stand ready to provide technical
assistance, as well as avail management capacities to facilitate the
effective delivery and expansion of existing and future initiatives.