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UNFPA began its support to Turkmenistan in 1992 from training of the medical personnel, delivery of medical equipment and supply of contraceptives. Today, UNFPA implements the third Country Programme Action Plan for the period of 2010—2015.

Turkmenistan is a country with vast oil and gas reserves, which has experienced impressive economic growth in recent years. The World Bank has classified the country as an upper-middle-income country. Nevertheless, there is need to reduce wide disparities in access to services – by rural-urban status, region, wealth quintile, gender, age and disability.

The new Country Programme for the period of 2016-2020 will build on the achievements of the previous programmes and will focus on:

  • Reproductive health and rights
    • Increased availability and use of integrated sexual and reproductive health services (including family planning, maternal health and STI/HIV) that are gender-responsive and meet human rights standards for quality of care and equity in access
  • Young people’s sexual and reproductive health and sexuality education
  • Increased priority on adolescents, especially on very young adolescent girls, in national development policies and programmes, particularly increased availability of comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health
  • Advanced gender equality, women’s and girls’ empowerment, and reproductive rights, including for the most vulnerable and marginalized women, adolescents and youth
  • Strengthened national policies and international development agendas through integration of evidence-based analysis on population dynamics and their links to sustainable development, sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, HIV and gender equality.
  • Gender equality
  • Population and Development

Key Achievements within the previous programme cycles:

Throughout the last 20 years of strategic cooperation, the UNFPA-supported programmes in Turkmenistan produced sustainable and sound results at policy level. 

  • UNFPA advocacy and technical expertise contributed to strengthened health system in the country to effectively deliver mother/newborn and family planning services.  UNFPA supported the Government of Turkmenistan in development of three National Strategies, two National Programmes and three National Action Plans on reproductive health, cervical cancer, response to HIV and adolescents’ health, as well as 49 clinical protocols on maternal and newborn health services,
  • Turkmenistan conducted Health Behavior in School-aged Children survey, first in Central Asian region, the results of which served as the basis for the National Strategy on Mothers, Children and Adolescents health.
  • The number of complicated deliveries reduced by 42% and the number of EmOC SDPs increased 2.7 times since 2009.
  • UNFPA advocacy has contributed to the signing of the MoU on procurement of contraceptives on state budget. 
  • UNFPA facilitated development of the CEDAW recommended NAP on Gender Equality, which addresses reproductive health and reproductive rights, and envisages conducting the first-ever domestic violence survey. 
  • Strategic partnership was established with the Parliament on youth policy and gender mainstreaming. UNFPA contributed to adoption of the Law and NAP on Youth Policy.
  • Launch of youth peer education centers significantly increased access of adolescents and youth to reliable knowledge on reproductive health and reproductive rights.