Locations
UNDP Turkmenistan
GOVERNANCE AND INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH
Programme at a glance
UNDP in Turkmenistan contributes to strengthening democratic principles, improving economic performance, and fostering high living standards by supporting the development of responsive national institutions, strengthening the human capital, and nurturing inclusive participation in line with national development plans and priorities. This includes protecting human rights, improving national capacity to report to the United Nations treaty bodies, increasing participation in the regional and global economic and trade processes, enhancing national employment and labour capacities, and modernizing public administration via development of digital public services.
With every opportunity arising, UNDP fosters human development in the heart of the economic growth of the country. Efforts are taken to make sure that the results of our work are sustainable and have long-term positive impact on people of Turkmenistan.
UNDP connects the country to the knowledge, resources and networks needed to support its national development agenda, hence significantly contributing to the nationalization and implementation of Sustainable Development Goals of Turkmenistan.
UNDP increases employment and income generation opportunities for people with disabilities in Turkmenistan.
In-depth
ACCELERATING THE SDGS: The UNDP’s integrator role
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The SDGs guide UNDP’s work across the world to build inclusive, just and sustainable societies.
UNDP in Turkmenistan strives to increase the capacity of the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan as a responsible body for coordinating activities to implement the SDGs in the country. UNDP joined forces with the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan and provided technical support to the government in the preparation of the first and second Voluntary National Reviews of the country in 2019 and 2023 to present the national progress made in implementing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
The UNDP’s integrator role in delivering SDGs and Agenda 2030 provoked the need for the reform of the international and national financial architecture to achieve notable results with a continuous focus on SDG financing, which serves as the key principle for ensuring sustainable and balanced economic growth.
UNDP contributes to the work of the Joint Expert Group on SDG Financing in Turkmenistan on promoting the Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF), which will facilitate the development of the financial planning and budgeting, improvement of the investment climate and business environment, development of capital markets and the introduction of innovative financial instruments.
UNDP Turkmenistan has supported the development of the national SDG Database, which enabled country-wide data collection, analysis of local trends for each indicator and further strengthened the country’s capacity to report and monitor the SDGs.
UNDP partnered with the State Statistics Committee of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan to strengthen the statistical and accounting capacity of the two institutions. It is expected that as a result of joint cooperation, quality disaggregated data, aligned with international standards, would be available to policymakers, legislators, and the public.
UNDP in Turkmenistan will continue to focus on enhancing the national statistical capacity to enable more agile, efficient and evidence-based decision-making and ensure better measurement of progress towards the SDGs in a way that is both inclusive and fair.
ENABLING Digital Transformation
We are living in a rapidly changing world where new technologies and innovative solutions play an increasingly important role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
In line with the UNDP Digital Strategy 2022-2025, UNDP works with governments and partners across 170 countries to boost the digital capacity of vulnerable and marginalized groups including women and people with disabilities and build digital ecosystems that benefit everyone.
UNDP in Turkmenistan actively supports the delivery of the national priorities on digital development outlined in the “Concept for the Development of the Digital Economy in Turkmenistan for 2019-2025” and the” State Programme for the Development of the Digital Economy in Turkmenistan for 2021-2025” paying special attention to strengthening country's digital capacity in such areas as electronic government, statistics, banking, finance, customs, civil registration and other public services.
Digitalization of public services
Digital transformation in the public sector has become an essential part of UNDP’s work in Turkmenistan, including its support to the simplification and harmonization of business processes and strengthening interaction between the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan (SCS) and state control authorities (SCAs) engaged in control of import and export operations.
UNDP, jointly with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), channels relevant technical assistance to the government to further automate and modernize customs clearance procedures using the Single Window concept to strengthen country’s trade capacity for development. These joint efforts promote fair trade and private sector development, ensure people’s economic rights, strengthen public institutions, improve the quality of public finances and promote economic stability and growth.
UNDP in Turkmenistan joined hands with the Ministry of Justice of Turkmenistan to pilot the digitalization of the services of the civil registration system and contribute to the creation of a Unified State Register of Records of Civil Status Acts to ensure a more efficient public services delivery.
Together with the State Statistics Committee of Turkmenistan, UNDP currently develops the Statistical Business Register to automate internal processes and increase the efficiency of business processes.
In February 2023 the UNDP and “Turkmenaragatnashyk” Agency under the Agency for Transport and Communications of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan started the implementation of a pilot system of interdepartmental electronic information exchange in Turkmenistan.
This new initiative on the creation of an Electronic Data Interchange System will become the backbone for all future interagency data communication, and will expand cooperation in the field of digital transformation of public administration, in line with UNDP’s efforts to accelerate digital transformation in Turkmenistan under the Memorandum of Understanding with “Turkmenaragatnashyk” Agency signed in March 2022.
UNDP in Turkmenistan strengthens the potential of the Academy of Civil Service under the President of Turkmenistan to improve the professional qualifications and retrain civil servants, as well as promote young national specialists to leadership positions. Our efforts are aimed at strengthening the capacity and competence of civil servants in the area of digital transformation and increasing the efficiency of public administration through the introduction of digital technologies.
Digital banking
Digital transformation is the dominant trend in the development of banking. Guided by the SDGs and the national strategic objectives, the State Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs of Turkmenistan (TFEB) and UNDP joined forces in the digitalization of banking services, to build a solid foundation for gaining competitive advantages due to increased flexibility, speed and efficiency of banking processes. UNDP will continue cooperation on enabling digital transformation by developing an innovative business model and digitalization of TFEB to ensure customer engagement, better profitability, and attract external finance.
With UNDP’s technical support the TFEB aims to increase its capacity to find solutions to the most critical challenges in digital transformation in banking and implement the national development agenda towards an inclusive and sustainable digital society in Turkmenistan.
ACCESSION TO THE WTO
The development of an effective and multilateral trading system is key to enhancing international economic cooperation. UNDP is supporting Turkmenistan in conducting an analysis of the institutional framework, strengthening national capacity to develop effective trade policies while using digital opportunities and learning from global best practices. Assistance is in place to coordinate and implement regulatory and institutional reforms to prepare Turkmenistan to the accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), which will allow the country to integrate into world trade processes more effectively.
UNDP builds trade capacity of the country through the development of the human capital to increase the competitiveness of national staff and transform human intelligence into the leading factor of economic growth and national competitiveness, diversification of export and increasing the share of higher value-added products in export composition and lowering the share of import in the national economy.
UNDP supports national partners with top notch international expertise to effectively prepare and progress on legislative and institutional base towards WTO accession.
PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS
Promoting respect and protecting human rights is in the core of UNDP’s work, which enables more strategic and sustainable development programming. Human rights are the cross-cutting issue theme for our programme which embraces such aspects as gender equality, promotion of disability rights and ensuring good governance.
UNDP in Turkmenistan strengthens the national system of protection, promotion, and implementation of human rights in Turkmenistan by harmonizing laws and practices in accordance with the country's international human rights obligations and execution of the National Action Plan of Turkmenistan on human rights for 2021-2025.
UNDP assists the government of Turkmenistan in the implementation of the recommendations of the UN Treaty Bodies and Human Rights Council`s Universal Periodic Review process, supporting the government to participate in and prepare national reports on implementation of core international human rights instruments.
UNDP focuses on increasing the institutional capacity of the Ombudsperson’s Office and expanding the independent and effective functions of the Ombudsperson’s Office to protect human rights in accordance with the Paris Principles, as well as strengthening cooperation of National Human Rights Institute (NHRI) with NHRIs in the Asia-Pacific region and supporting accreditation of Ombudsperson`s Office with Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions. These joint efforts will ensure the effective interaction of the Ombudsperson`s Office with the judiciary system, law enforcement agencies, government organizations and CSOs to protect and promote human rights in the country.
UNDP supports the establishment of a National Preventive Mechanism in the format of Ombudsperson`s Office plus CSOs to address torture in penitentiary institutions.
Building inclusive social protection
Strong social protection systems are key to future sustainability to ensure that everyone has access to the opportunities and resources needed to participate fully in economic, social, cultural, and political life.
UNDP in Turkmenistan actively contributed to the introduction of a new model of the community based social services within the framework of the Joint Programme, funded by the Joint SDG Fund and implemented by the UN Agencies in Turkmenistan. This initiative served as a starting point in the process of reforming the social service provision system in the country to empower vulnerable people and ensure their access to essential services and strong social protection.
With the support of the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, UNDP partners with the Blind and Deaf Society of Turkmenistan to increase employment and income generation opportunities for people with disabilities in Turkmenistan through vocational training and the creation of new employment opportunities.
UNDP plans to work on the development of a Roadmap for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) jointly with the Working Group of Interdepartmental Commission on Human Rights and CSOs in Turkmenistan.
YOUTH EMPOWERMENT AND RESILIENCE FOR SOCIAL COHESION
Young people around the world can be a driving force for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Considering the crucial role played by younger generation in the socio-economic development of Turkmenistan, UNDP enhances the potential of young people, including through outreach, advocacy, thought leadership, global networks, and familiarization with international experience and global initiatives on sustainable development.
We empower youths through digital literacy, skills, and resources they need to embrace digital technology through providing platforms for knowledge sharing and networking. We help younger generation to capitalize on the ever-evolving digital reality and ensure youth’s active engagement in building an inclusive and sustainable future for all.
Violent extremism undermines peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development. Mitigating the appeal of violent extremism amongst communities and vulnerable groups, particularly young people, is a high priority for many countries around the world, including Turkmenistan. In partnership with the European Union (EU) we support the government and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in their efforts to provide socio-economic support to vulnerable youth to empower and build their resilience to violent extremism.
In Turkmenistan, UNDP applies a collective approach to develop the values of providing mutual support among youth. The youth are supported to develop their professional and business skills by expert groups from the private and public sectors, and thus enhance their opportunities in life and build resilience to tackle global threats.
UNDP and the Turkmen National Institute of World Languages named after D. Azadi meet on the SDGs within the framework of the Book club "Kitap-paýhasyň çeşmesi" to discuss the role of the younger generation in achieving the 17 SDGs (19 May 2023).
