Every day, millions of people around the world volunteer, helping their communities and contributing to solutions for important issues, playing a key role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Volunteers are willing to share their time, effort, and skills to promote social well-being and help those in need, and to support social and environmental initiatives.

In Turkmenistan, the volunteer movement is also actively developing, and young people play a key role in promoting important social initiatives. One such initiative is the program for the introduction of volunteering to promote gender equality and advocate for a healthy lifestyle, physical education, and sports among young people, "Youth, Sports, and Gender Equality." This program is implemented jointly by the UNFPA Turkmenistan Country Office and the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sport of Turkmenistan. The main principle that volunteers follow is the desire to help people, share their experiences, and learn new things.

Young volunteers, pupils of sports schools, and active young people in the cities of Ashgabat, Mary, and Turkmenabat make an important contribution to achieving gender equality, breaking down stereotypes and creating equal opportunities for all. They actively involve their peers in promoting sports and a healthy lifestyle through training, information campaigns, and sporting events. Young volunteers share knowledge about gender equality with their peers and explain why it is important for men to support the equal rights of girls and women. They inspire girls to play sports and lead an active lifestyle, and they promote the fair distribution of household chores between boys and girls. Volunteers help young people learn important life values necessary for building an inclusive society. 

One striking example of such activity was the holding of youth debates in the run-up to the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. The debates were attended by 45 volunteers from Ashgabat, Mary, and Turkmenabat—active participants in the volunteer program of the UNFPA and the State Committee for Sports. The debates, held on October 28-29 at the UN building in Ashgabat, became a platform for developing argumentation skills and deepening understanding of gender equality. Participants learned to formulate and defend their positions, and to analyze different points of view and approaches to the issue of gender equality.

The debates consisted of several rounds, in each of which the teams presented their arguments "for" and "against" on various aspects of gender equality. Heated discussions unfolded around such topics as equal access to sports and education, equal employment opportunities, and ensuring equal access to social services for all. Based on the results of the debates, the jury, which included representatives of the Google Development Group, Technovation Girls, the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sport, and the “Junior Achievement Turkmenistan” Public Association determined the winners. They were awarded for their oratory skills and deep understanding of gender equality issues.

Inspired by the success of the debates, the volunteers took an active part in a series of sporting events the very next day, October 30, to demonstrate in practice the importance of equal opportunities for all. One of the most striking events was the game of gender "Pair Dodgeball" in which mixed teams of girls and boys competed in agility and mutual assistance. In this game, one team formed a circle, and the players of the other team tried to "knock" them out of the circle with a ball. However, the girls in the circle could only protect the boys of their team, and the boys could only protect the girls. Thanks to such unusual rules, this game broke the stereotype that girls only need protection, clearly demonstrating their ability to protect others.

Additionally, a sitting volleyball match was held as part of the sporting events, where volunteers supported the game of young athletes of the Physical Education and Sports Club of the Center for the Disabled of Turkmenistan. This event became a vivid example of inclusivity and equality in sports. 

At the end of the competition, prizes were awarded to the winners and participants, marking their sporting achievements and contribution to the promotion of gender equality. This three-day event, which combined debates and sports competitions, clearly demonstrated the importance of equal opportunities for all, regardless of gender or physical ability. UNFPA, together with the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sport of Turkmenistan, will continue to work together in this direction, contributing to the further development of the youth volunteer movement and the promotion of gender equality in sports and society at large.