In a recent interview published in Neutral Turkmenistan, Narine Sahakyan, the UNDP Resident Representative in Turkmenistan, shared key achievements of UNDP and the Government of Turkmenistan’s collaboration in 2023, highlighting their successful joint efforts in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals and strengthening national capacities.
Implementation of SDGs
In 2023, UNDP assisted in the development of the National SDG Database, which will further strengthen the country’s capacity for reporting and monitoring SDGs.
UNDP was also pleased to contribute to the work on the second Voluntary National Review of the implementation of SDGs in Turkmenistan, which was presented at a high-level meeting in New York in the summer of this year.
UNDP is supporting the activities of the Joint Expert Group on SDG Financing, which is considered as an effective platform for fulfilling the country’s commitments to development financing.
Human rights
UNDP will continue to cooperate in the implementation of the Turkmenistan National Action Plan on Human Rights, including assistance in the preparation of reports to UN treaty bodies and strengthening the institutional capacity of the Ombudsman’s Office for the Protection of Human Rights.
Healthcare
“This year, we signed a number of new projects worth over $70 million as part of our efforts to strengthen the capacity of national public health systems and improve the availability and quality of medical services,” Sahakyan said.
The Government of Turkmenistan finances the supply of medicines, and UNDP assists in the procurement of high-quality drugs from manufacturers for the prevention and control of both communicable and non-communicable diseases throughout the country.
UNDP is supporting the strengthening of the national health system in the field of clinical and laboratory diagnostics of diseases, supporting the achievement of national goals for tuberculosis control, and fostering the readiness of national public health systems to respond to global pandemics.
Digitalization
Over the past few years, UNDP and Turkmenistan have successfully piloted a number of innovative digital solutions in the areas of statistics, banking, finance, customs, civil registration, and other government services, which has created the foundation for signing an important strategic project with the Türkmenaragatnaşyk Agency (Turkmen Communication) in the field of digital transformation of public administration.
Environmental protection
“With the support of our partners, we will continue to provide the country with the resources it needs to mitigate the negative effects of climate change, adapt to them, and promote the implementation of national environmental programs, including increasing the efficiency of water and energy use and building sustainable and safe cities,” the UNDP representative in Turkmenistan emphasized.
Promoting gender equality
The United Nations Development Programme intends to expand cooperation on gender equality and economic empowerment of women, including women’s entrepreneurship, innovation, and digitalization.
“UNDP is ready to work together with the Government of Turkmenistan and our partners to intensify efforts to implement the national development agenda and create a peaceful, just, and sustainable future for all,” Sahakyan concluded. ///nCa, 25 December 2023