The presentation of the State of the World Population Report 2024, timed to coincide with the annually celebrated World Population Day, took place today at the Ýyldyz Hotel in the capital. 

Members of the Mejlis, employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, various ministries and departments, the Academy of State Service under the President of Turkmenistan, the Institute of State, Law and Democracy, the National Red Crescent Society, media, as well as heads of diplomatic missions of foreign states accredited in our country were invited to participate in the event, organized jointly by the UNFPA Representative Office in Turkmenistan and the Government of our country. 

As the speakers emphasized, the wide celebration of World Population Day, established in December 1990 by a special Resolution of the UN General Assembly, is extremely important for drawing international attention to current population issues in the context of global and national development plans and programs, as well as finding solutions to common problems. 

The State of the World Population Report 2024 is also aimed at this, the essence of which is reflected in its title "Interwoven Lives, Threads of Hope: Ending Inequality in Reproductive Health and Rights". 

The document, providing an overview of the current global situation and challenges faced by people in different countries, highlights issues of paramount importance to humanity. First and foremost, this concerns the empowerment of women in reproductive health. 

As is known, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, where a foundational global agreement was signed, committing to ensure better health, rights and choices for all. This priority task has contributed to further significant progress in this direction and has been incorporated into the global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

As noted in the speeches, the peaceful foreign policy course of Turkmenistan, initiated by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Hero-Arkadag, and successfully continued by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, aimed at strengthening the foundations of universal security and broad international cooperation, has predetermined the fruitful nature of our country's interaction with UN agencies, which act as long-term strategic partners in addressing pressing issues of our time. 

In this context, the exceptional productivity of joint work within the framework of the "UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework between Turkmenistan and the UN for 2021-2025" was emphasized. This framework defines the main vectors of interaction between the Government of Turkmenistan and UN agencies accredited in the country, including UNFPA, taking into account national interests and priorities of socio-economic development of our state. 

Noting Turkmenistan's achievements in public health, gender equality, creating favorable living conditions, and expanding people's rights and opportunities, UNFPA representatives emphasized their readiness to comprehensively enhance the established fruitful cooperation and provide full support in developing, adopting, and implementing population policies and development strategies. 

An example of successful collaboration was UNFPA's technical assistance to the State Statistics Committee of Turkmenistan in preparing and conducting the 2022 national population and housing census, as well as implementing the National Strategy for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health 2020-2030, and the National Action Plan on Gender Equality 2021-2025. 

UNFPA serves as a constant partner in the implementation of numerous joint projects and programs aimed at addressing Turkmenistan's priority development tasks, closely linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Various consultative meetings, seminars and conferences are regularly held, providing an open platform for exchanging views on a wide range of issues and developing effective measures to strengthen the established constructive dialogue. 

During today's event, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the National Red Crescent Society of Turkmenistan and UNFPA, confirming the mutual interest of the parties in further cooperation to achieve common goals.