Ashgabat, 26 November 2011 – The UNDP Country Office in Turkmenistan and the Israeli Agency for International Development Cooperation (MASHAV) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cooperation in areas of mutual interest to enhance the effectiveness of their development efforts in Turkmenistan.

The overall objective of the MOU is to build cooperation to serve development needs of Turkmenistan in the areas of private sector development, environmental governance and climate change. Activities under this MOU will focus on provision of advisory support, capacity building of national partners, research cooperation and sharing best practices in these areas.

Signing the MOU on behalf of the Agency for International Development Cooperation, the Israeli Embassy Consul in Turkmenistan Mr. Raz Russo Shlomo stressed that "the State of Israel together with MASHAV is very happy to share Israel’s knowledge and experience in different areas such as agriculture, water management, health care, combating desertification and development of small and medium businesses."

"Joining efforts and resources of development partners is a very encouraging process as it makes development cooperation more harmonized and coordinated. I am very pleased to sign on behalf of UNDP the cooperation agreement with Israel’s MASHAV and to know that our knowledge, skills and experience will be united to serve the needs of the people of Turkmenistan," said Lenni Montiel, UNDP Resident Representative in Turkmenistan.

The Memorandum of Understanding is based on provisions of a Partnership Framework Agreement, which UNDP and the Government of Israel signed in 2008 in order to serve the purposes of sustainable development in the world.