THIRD PLENARY SESSION "INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN THE HUMANITARIAN SPHERE"

Within the framework of the International Conference “Global Cooperation of Independent, Neutral Turkmenistan for the sake of Peace and Trust”, on April 15, 2021, the third plenary session “International Cooperation on Humanitarian Issues” was held at the International University for humanities and development. The Rector of the given University Esen Aydogdiyev moderated the session.

The speeches of the Speaker of Parliament of Turkmenistan Gulshat Mammedova, Director of the UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia Afshan Khan, Deputy Director of the Office for Europe and the CIS, UNDP Agi Veres, OHCHR Regional Representative for Central Asia Ryszard Komenda, Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, UNFPA Alanna Armitage, Head of the Regional Office for Central Asia, IFRC Bayarmaa Luntan, Regional Representative for Central Asia, UNHCR Hans Friedrich Schodder and Head of the UNESCO Cluster Office in Tehran Cvetan Cvetkovski were listened at the meeting.

During the meeting, the participants emphasized that Turkmenistan considers the development of humanitarian cooperation as the most important task of interaction within the framework of regional and international organizations, including with specialized UN structures. Actively interacting with international humanitarian organizations, the state contributes to the efforts of the world community, taking effective measures to provide assistance to migrants, refugees, stateless persons and protect their rights. In this context, the importance of the Inter-departmental Commission on the Implementation of International Obligations of Turkmenistan in the area of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law was emphasized.

Noting the productivity of the work done in Turkmenistan in recent years in this direction, the participants emphasized that the country takes an active position in matters of humanitarian cooperation, putting forward specific initiatives aimed at ensuring prosperity in the regional and global dimensions, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Expressing gratitude for the invitation to take part in this conference, the meeting participants noted the high level of cooperation of Turkmenistan in the field of humanitarian action, both in a bilateral and multilateral format.