The concept of National Human Rights Action Plans was formulated during the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna in 1993. It is founded on the assumption that consistent improvement of human rights situation depends primarily on the goodwill of the Government and people of each country. In this regard, the World Conference recommended that each state considers the issue of developing National Action Plans, containing a list of measures to promote and protect human rights.

The Government of Turkmenistan bases its decision to develop and adopt the National Human Rights Action Plan for the period 2016-2020 (hereinafter the Action Plan) on the country’s Constitution, in which the Article 19 guarantees the equality of rights and freedoms of individuals and citizens, as well as the equality of all before the law, irrespective of nationality, race, sex, origin, wealth, official capacity, place of residence, language, attitude to religion, political views, party affiliation or lack thereof.

The Government of Turkmenistan also emphasizes its commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In this regard, it intends to continue its efforts to fulfill the obligations to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms and develop international cooperation in this field.