UNFPA Executive Director held meetings with H.E. Mr. Rashid Meredov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, H.E. Ms. Akja Nurberdiyeva, Chairperson of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan, H.E. Mr. Sapardurdy Toyliyev, Deputy Prime Minister responsible for education, health and science, and H.E. Mr. Byashimmyrat Hojamammedov, Deputy Prime Minister responsible for the economy and development.
Dr. Osotimehin extended appreciation to the Government of Turkmenistan for the fruitful partnership and congratulated for the Government’s increasing leadership and ownership for the new Country Programme for the period of 2016-2020 between UNFPA and Turkmenistan.
While Turkmenistan has begun to make investments in the area of reproductive health, the sides agreed that within the next country programme there is a need to expand the focus and investments in youth, the largest population group in the country. UNFPA will provide comprehensive technical support to the Government to ensure that the country reaps this demographic dividend. The discussions touched on the increasing leadership and role that Turkmenistan plays as a donor in the region and the new model of partnership that UNFPA will begin to build with the Government of Turkmenistan, as an upper-middle-income country.
The Government has assured UNFPA that Turkmenistan will intensify strategic cooperation with UNFPA capitalizing on the achieved results on policy level in the area of reproductive health, gender equality and data. UNFPA head also welcomed the growing role of Turkmenistan in regional and global meetings in support of reproductive health and family planning, women’s rights and expanding women’s and young people’s opportunities. UNFPA expressed readiness to provide technical support to the Government in hosting such regional and international level meetings in Turkmenistan. The Government already came forth with a proposal to jointly organize the International Conference on Youth Issues in Ashgabat in 2016.
During his meeting at the Mejlis of Turkmenistan, the Chairperson of Mejlis acknowledged the trustful cooperation established between the Mejlis of Turkmenistan and UNFPA in the areas of youth policies, gender equality in legislation, population and development issues. Dr. Osotimehin highlighted the important role of the Mejlis in advancing ICPD agenda in Turkmenistan.
