Advanced practices in youth policy implementation and engendering legislation were presented by the participants of the UNFPA, United Nations Population Fund supported study visits to Germany and Armenia at the round-table in Mejlis (Parliament) of Turkmenistan.
During the round-table the representatives of Mejlis of Turkmenistan discussed the results of the meetings held during the study tours and the possibility of replicating the experience of the visited countries.
Learning effective inter-agency mechanisms of the youth policy implementation was the focus of the study-visit to Germany. The Turkmen delegation included the Deputy Chairperson and Heads of the Committee on science, education, culture and youth policy, Committee on self-governance, and members of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan, as well the Deputy Minister of Education of Turkmenistan and Head of the Department on youth issues of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan.
“Youth policy of Germany is implemented based on the Constitution and the federal laws ‘On support to children and youth’, ‘On social protection of youth’, among others,” said Mr. Mammetmyrat Geldinyyazov, Head of the Mejlis Committee on science, education, culture and youth policy. “We visited the Federal Union of German Youth Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Federal Ministry of Germany for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, and one of the youth organizations in Berlin, where we learned about the mechanisms of providing support to children and young people on a local, district and national level, as well as the mechanisms of financing the youth activities.” The meeting participants noted that there are more than 90 youth organizations operating in the country, and have a membership of more than 25 thousand children and young people.
UNFPA has a long-standing cooperation with the Government of Turkmenistan on youth-related issues. Mejlis of Turkmenistan and Youth Organization of Turkmenistan named after Magtymguly have been UNFPA key strategic partners in promoting youth issues, including reproductive health and rights, education and participation, access to reproductive health services and information.
Since the adoption of the Law on youth policy and the State Program of the State Youth Policy of Turkmenistan for 2015-2020, UNFPA has been providing support to Mejlis of Turkmenistan in identifying the implementation and coordination mechanisms through organizing round tables and seminars, bringing international experts to the Mejlis and organizing the study visits to countries that can share and adapt advanced practices.
The round-table participants further presented the results of the study visit to Armenia, where the delegation got familiarized with the experience of the country in mechanisms of gender-legal expertise, as well the role of the National Assembly of Armenia and civil society in the process of ensuring gender equality.
The delegation met with the Deputy Chairperson of the National Assembly of Armenia, as well as the Youth Parliament under the Permanent Commission of the National Assembly on science, education, culture, youth and sport. The structure and history of the Youth Parliament and its role in the work of the National Assembly was actively discussed by the roundtable participants. The Center for studying gender equality and leadership at the Yerevan State University was also visited, as the role of the civil society and public organizations in promoting gender equality was noted.
Taking into account that Mejlis of Turkmenistan increasingly takes role in advancing the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) agenda in the country, the members of the parliament showed interest in visiting the Permanent Commission on maternal and child health issues under the National Assembly of Armenia, the Medical center “Arabkir” under the Institute of child and adolescent health, the Reproductive health center, as well as the Center for providing services to the population.
It should be noted that Mejlis is becoming a place where different stakeholders come together to discuss the population and development issues and suggest potential solutions through series of round table meetings. The round tables have served as one of the critical sources to inform the Mejlis members on the existing gaps in the areas of reproductive rights and health of women and men of Turkmenistan, youth support initiatives and practices, data and development, and e-governance initiatives.
***
UNFPA: Delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
For additional information, please contact:
Bayramgul Garabayeva,
UNFPA Assistant Representative
Ene Tuyliyeva, Advocacy Communication Associate
Tel: 269255
Web: turkmenistan.unfpa.org, tm.one.un.org
