On July 17, 2020, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan V. Khadzhiev had an online meeting with the Regional Representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for Central Asia Richard Komenda and the UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan Elena Panova.
During the meeting, having discussed the current state of cooperation between Turkmenistan and the UN specialized agencies, the parties exchanged views on interaction with the UN human rights mechanisms, in particular, in the field of education, as well as on support in building national capacity, developing and monitoring National Action Plans in the field of human rights. In this context, the enormous role of the meetings of the Interdepartmental Commission on the Implementation of Turkmenistan’s International Commitments in the Field of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law was noted.
The parties also focused on the Joint Action Plan for the 2nd half of 2020 of the Interdepartmental Commission on the Implementation of Turkmenistan’s International Commitments in the Field of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law and the United Nations Office (UN) in Turkmenistan.
During the negotiations, the issue of the beginning of the work of the UN OHCHR National Program Officer within the UN Office in Ashgabat was considered to provide technical assistance and coordination of activities in the implementation of UN projects on human rights, as well as coordinate direct communication between the regional office of the UN OHCHR and the Government of Turkmenistan.
In addition, the meeting participants discussed preventive measures and additional activities to prevent the spread of a dangerous viral infection in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.