United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Government of Turkmenistan held a round table on Tuesday to discuss the draft UNDP Country Programme Document for the period 2021-2025.
The meeting at the UNDP office in Ashgabat gathered representatives of Turkmen Government, United Nations and its structural agencies, private sector, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
According to the UNDP’s Tuesday press release, the UNDP Resident Representative Natia Natsvlishvili, UN Resident Coordinator Elena Panova and representative of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Akmyradov Magtymguly have welcomed the participants and confirmed the joint commitment towards continued cooperation between the UNDP and the Government of Turkmenistan.
The meeting participants were introduced to the strategic priorities of new UNDP Country Programme for the period 2021-2025. It was noted that the the programme is guided by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and derives from the UN-Government Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, signed on March 14.
The UNDP said the upcoming Country Programme is focusing on improvement of the well-being of people with a special emphasis on:
- Strengthening the rule of law and protecting human rights;
- Enhancing economic diversification and stimulation of the private sector;
- Improving the quality of people's health and social integration of people;
- Building the country’s resilience to climate and disaster risks through promoting mitigation and adaptation, sustainable management of water, land and natural resources.
“The UNDP enjoys a long-standing and effective cooperation with the Government of Turkmenistan,” the UNDP Resident Representative Natsvlishvili said in her speech. “Our joint achievements within the framework of the current cooperation shapes the next five-year partnership priorities with a special focus on supporting SDGs and UN Cooperation Framework outcomes.”
The round table participants provided valuable feedback and suggestions for further development of the document. It is expected that the UNDP Country Programme Document will be soon be finalized together with the Government of Turkmenistan and shared with UNDP Executive Board for approval.
