Turkmenabat/Ashgabat, 23 May 2023 – The United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, in collaboration with the Government of Turkmenistan convened a high-level level conference in Turkmenabat city of Lebap region to review progress made since the landmark United Nations International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in 1994. As the international community prepares to mark 30th anniversary of ICPD, the sub-national conference was organized to highlight achievements in the implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action that focuses on improving the quality of people’s lives through ensuring reproductive health and rights, expanding access to family planning, advancing gender equality and leveraging current population changes in line with the aspirations of the 2030 Agenda.
The conference served as a platform to reflect on Turkmenistan’s commitments made at the ICPD Nairobi Summit in 2019. It also provided meaningful space to re-affirm the unfinished business that remains to be accomplished till 2030 to ensure that no woman dies during giving birth from preventable causes, every woman has an opportunity and choice to decide on the number of and spacing between her children, and every woman and girl are free from violence. This participatory process encouraged national stakeholders to recognize the need for enhancing accountability in implementation of laws, policies, and national programmes/plans related to reproductive health and rights, gender equality, youth policy and population dynamics.
National stakeholder consultations were held to allow participants to share insights and discuss accelerators to address current and emerging challenges at various levels since the ICPD Nairobi Summit. National consultations integrated an inclusive approach that echoed the voices and perspectives of various national stakeholder groups such as line ministries, Lebap region local authorities, women, youth activists, NGOs and local social service providers.
The outcomes of the Lebap consultations will be factored in the following national high-level ICPD30 Conference and the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional ICPD Conference titled “Population and Development: Ensuring Rights and Choices”, which will be organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and UNFPA on 19-20 October in Geneva, Switzerland. This comprehensive review processes will be reported at the global review of the ICPD, which will take place at the 57th Session of the Commission on Population and Development in April 2024.
Ms. Myahri Byashimova, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan highlighted that “In Turkmenistan, concern for an individual’s development and the satisfaction of each individual’s vital needs is prioritized task of the state policy. Today’s Sub-National Conference provides an opportunity to discuss the achievements of Turkmenistan in the implementation of the tasks set under the ICPD Programme of Action, and also draws our attention to the importance of identifying key issues before the preparation of the Regional Conference on ICPD Programme of Action, which is scheduled for October this year”.
Mr. Dmitry Shlapachenko, UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan underlined that “This year, in September, UN member states will come together in New York for the SDG Summit and the Ministerial Meeting on the 2024 Summit of the Future. The main objective of both Summits is to intensify collective action and work towards an effective governance structures to better address existing and future challenges in the area of sustainable development. It is important to highlight that the Sustainable Development Goals and the ICPD Programme of Action are interrelated in their goals and the pursuit of sustainable development. They call for cooperation and joint actions of Member States, organizations and the population to address issues of poverty, inequality and demographic changes. Hence, expected results of the December 2022 Population and Housing Census stock of Turkmenistan will be the foundation for monitoring the progress towards Sustainable Development Goals in Turkmenistan”.
“It is commendable that the Government of Turkmenistan demonstrates its continued political and practical commitments towards ensuring reproductive health and rights, and empowerment of women and girls in the ever-changing world with demographic changes. The ICPD30 consultations provide an opportunity to accelerate our partnerships and collective actions to transform our society into a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. Together we can make this promise delivered”, said Ms. Ayna Seyitliyeva, UNFPA Head of Office in her presentation.
The municipality of Lebap region was given a public recognition for active participation and contributions made at local level on the path of achieving ICPD Agenda that led to a more effective and responsive local engagement in Lebap region. Ms. Oguljennet Berdilieva, Deputy Governor of the Lebap region in charge of education, culture, health and sports stressed that “Lebap region will further improve family planning, maternal health and gender equality, as well as the implementation of youth policy of the country to ensure the implementation of Turkmenistan’s commitments in achieving the ICPD Programme of Action”.
On the occasion of the sub-national Conference ICPD30, UNFPA in collaboration with the State Committee of Turkmenistan on Physical Culture and Sports organized sport-event with involvement of Lebap region’s youth. The Conference participants joined the Awarding Ceremony of the Lebap region’s basketball teams to empower girls and boys in sports and to promote physical education, peace and gender equality among young people in Turkmenistan.
Background:
In 1994, at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), 179 countries came together and adopted a Programme of Action, in which they agreed that population policies must be aimed at empowering couples and individuals— especially women—to make decisions about the size of their families, providing them with the information and resources to make such decisions, and enabling them to exercise their reproductive rights. For the first time in an international consensus document, states agreed that reproductive rights are human rights that are already recognized in domestic and international law.
The ICPD Programme of Action recognizes that realizing the right to reproductive health is a critical element of guaranteeing reproductive rights. The ICPD Programme of Action broadly defines reproductive health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes.” In adopting the ICPD Programme of Action, states committed to take legal, policy, budgetary, and other measures to effectuate the principles and rights enshrined in the document.
Every five years since ICPD, states have come together to reaffirm this commitment, analyze the progress that has been made towards realizing sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, and decide upon further actions that should be taken.
Please read:
Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population Development
Explore Nairobi Commitments: Turkmenistan
Please watch:
Gender-based violence. Selbi’s story
Gender-based division of parental and domestic roles: “Family Treasure”
Complete Census of the Population and Housing stock of Turkmenistan
For more information, please contact:
Ogulgerek Annayeva
UNFPA Programme Analyst, Communications
About UNFPA:
UNFPA's mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.
