President of Turkmenistan approved the National Action Plan for the Implementation of Children’s Rights in Turkmenistan for 2023-2028. The ministries and branch departments, local executive authorities and public associations of Turkmenistan are tasked with the implementation of the Plan. The head of the Department of Democracy and International Relations Shemshat Atajanova commented in an interview with the newspaper “Neutral Turkmenistan” on the priorities and tasks of the new state program aimed at realizing the rights of the younger generation.
Here are the main points from the interview:
The universal document covering all aspects of children’s lives is the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Turkmenistan ratified in 1994. Turkmenistan has also joined a number of other international instruments in the field of children’s rights – the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the ILO Convention on the Minimum Age for Employment, the ILO Convention on the Prohibition and Immediate Measures to Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
The National Action Plan for the Realization of Children’s Rights in Turkmenistan is a holistic framework for the integration of all strategies and plans developed by the Government of Turkmenistan and public organizations in order to improve the well-being of children.
The plan aims to ensure that all government agencies include children’s issues in their programs. It provides for a coordinated call to action, which should be a priority for all spheres of public administration, civil society and other partners in the private and public sectors.
The National Action Plan for 2023-2028 is based on an analysis of the implementation of the rights of children and adolescents conducted in Turkmenistan in 2018, and reflects their views.
The NAP will contribute further to the country’s achievement of the SDG commitments and results for children.
It is expected that the NAP will be regularly reviewed and updated to remain relevant and take into account the needs of children and their parents. The plan was developed with the participation of relevant ministries and departments, institutions and organizations together with the UNICEF in Turkmenistan.
The priorities of the Plan cover all areas of children’s lives, including enhancing legislation, creating favorable social conditions for children and their families, improving results-based intersectoral cooperation, fostering public and private partnerships so that all children and their families benefit from the implementation of measures to adapt to climate change and mitigate its consequences.
The Plan focuses on strengthening measures to ensure that children from the most vulnerable groups, such as children with disabilities, have access to modern education so that they can fully realize their potential and acquire the skills and knowledge required for free and successful employment, as wellas increase social integration and sustainability in a changing economy.
The NAP will be aimed at investing in such areas as social work, early child development, inclusive education and others.
The procedure for periodic and mid-term reviews of the implementation of the NAP and monitoring, including the SDGs, will be established. The role of the private sector as a partner in the implementation of the NAP will be considered at periodic meetings, and appropriate steps will be taken to expand its involvement in the implementation of children’s rights.
Children will also take part in the discussion, implementation and monitoring of the NAP.
The partnership with the media will be aimed at promoting the wider participation of children in the implementation of the NAP.
A mid-term independent assessment will be conducted in 2026 with the involvement of teenagers, parents and representatives of public associations.
***
The following programs aimed at children are being implemented in the country: The National Strategy for Early Child Development in Turkmenistan for 2020-2025, the Program for improving the activities of preschool institutions in the field of early development and improving the preparation of children for school in Turkmenistan for 2020-2025, the National Strategy “Healthy mother – healthy child – healthy future” and the Action Plan for its implementation, the National Program for Healthy Nutrition of the Population for 2020-2025, the National Action Plan of Turkmenistan to combat human trafficking for 2020-2022, the National Action Plan for Gender Equality in Turkmenistan for 2021-2025.
In April 2023, Turkmenistan was elected to the UNICEF Executive Board for the period 2024-2026. ///nCa, 23 June 2023
#children’s_rights, #Turkmenistan, #UNICEF, #Institute_of_State_Law_and_Democracy_of_Turkmenistan