ISSUES OF COOPERATION BETWEEN TURKMENISTAN AND UN STRUCTURES DISCUSSED

On November 3, 2022, the meeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov with the heads of UN regional agencies took place in a hybrid format.

The meeting was attended by the Regional Director of the United Nations Development Coordination Office (UNDCO) for Europe and Central Asia G. Yop-Son, Head of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia N. Gherman, Director of the UNESCO Cluster Office in Tehran G. El Khoury, OHCHR Regional Representative R. Komenda, UNHCR Regional Representative for Central Asia H. Friedrich Schodder, Representative of the United Nations Regional Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) A. Mukhidov, UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan D. Shlapachenko and heads of the UN country offices in Turkmenistan: UNDP, UNODC, UNFPA, UNICEF and WHO.

 During the meeting, the parties discussed a wide range of issues related to the active interaction of Turkmenistan with the United Nations.

In his speech, R. Meredov noted that the UN is a strategic partner of Turkmenistan, and in this context, the readiness and desire of the Government of Turkmenistan for the further development of comprehensive cooperation was emphasized.

Today, the Turkmen side is implementing more than 50 regional and country projects with the above and other specialized UN structures in such areas as sustainable development, digitalization, the humanitarian dimension, including aspects of human rights, resolving issues of refugees and stateless persons, climate change and environmental protection , as well as targets to reduce greenhouse gas and methane emissions, the application and implementation of best practices in the education and health systems, including the fight against non-communicable diseases and “One health” initiatives.

Noting the traditional channels of constructive cooperation, the Turkmen side suggested that the UN agencies consider the possibility of opening up new areas of cooperation and, in this regard, provide their proposals for specific projects.

In their speeches, the heads of the UN agencies and departments informed about the ongoing joint work with the Government of Turkmenistan, supported the recommendations of the Turkmen side regarding the search for new ways of interaction, and shared their ideas and proposals in this direction.

Following the meeting, the parties agreed to strengthen the activities of specialized UN programs in Turkmenistan, including in the Central Asian region.