The Interdepartmental Commission to ensure the fulfillment of Turkmenistan's international obligations in the field of human rights and international humanitarian law held a regular meeting.

The meeting was attended by representatives of a number of ministries and departments, law enforcement agencies, public organizations, the Ombudsman. Representatives of international organizations accredited in our country, heads of the Regional Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for Central Asia and Central Asia Regional Office of the International Committee of the Red Cross took part in the meeting online.

The meeting agenda included the issues of expanding humanitarian cooperation with authoritative structures, forms and mechanisms for the implementation of national plans and programmes, including joint work plans.

According to those speaking during the meeting, the main indicator of the democratic transformations carried out in the country was the creation of favourable conditions for the life of the population, ensuring the implementation of constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens.

Particular attention was paid to the multi-format interaction of our country with the United Nations and its structural units, which is successfully developing, including in such an important area as the humanitarian sphere.

The draft National Action Plan for Human Rights in Turkmenistan for 2021-2025 (NAP), which is a logical continuation of the successfully implemented similar plan for 2016-2020, was presented to the meeting participants for consideration. The new NAP is aimed at fulfilling modern tasks of the development of society and the state in combination with the SDGs.

Among the main issues on the agenda is the draft Action Plan for the Implementation of International Humanitarian Law in Turkmenistan for 2021-2023 prepared by the National Red Crescent Society of Turkmenistan.

A separate discussion focused on strengthening the legal framework for interaction with the UN specialized agency for education, science and culture (UNESCO) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), with which dozens of joint projects have been implemented in recent years. Emphasizing that one of the priority vectors of the foreign policy course is the expansion of fruitful relations with UNESCO and the OSCE, the meeting participants exchanged views on the prospects for partnership with these structures.

The members of the Interdepartmental Commission discussed proposals on improvement of the regulations governing complex work with minors. At the same time, they spoke about the importance of enhancing the activities of public organizations, and civil society in general in the upbringing of youth. 

It was proposed to create a Working Group under the Interdepartmental Commission on the Legal Regulation of Human Rights in the Sphere of Mass Media, Migration, Freedom of Religion and Other Spheres.

Among the issues discussed was the implementation of the Work Plan of the Interdepartmental Commission for the current year, updated in accordance with the tasks identified by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov at an enlarge meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on February 12, and at a meeting with deputies of the Mejlis on February 25, 2021.

Meeting participants also discussed other issues in the field of humanitarian law.