It was shared that according to ESCAP 2020 study, despite the progress achieved in the recent years in North and Central Asia, the subregion continues to suffer from high transport costs and low transport connectivity levels, shortages in the transport infrastructure coverage and operational weakness in freight transport operations. The presenters also informed that the relatively low level of digitalization and facilitation of cross-border transport and trade operations add up to existing challenges. Benefits from the successful implementation of cross- border paperless trade are large. In this respect, the Framework Agreement on facilitation of cross-border paperless trade provides promising avenues for the parties to progress together. “Based on this evidence UN Resident Coordinator’s Office facilitated a transport policy dialogue with the Government experts promoting digitalization of trade as one of the solutions. I am happy to acknowledge high level of evidence uptake for decision-making – in April 2022, the country adopted the Law on joining the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-Border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific”, noted Dmitry Shlapachenko, UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan. “…It would not be an exaggeration to say that almost all international trade today is facilitated and enabled by digital and communication technologies. In this sense, almost all international trade today is digitalized. The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the urgency for governments and businesses to ramp up digitalization to better facilitate trade and to ensure smoother movement of goods, especially essential and critical goods. In this regard, accelerating the implementation of trade facilitation measures and digitalizing procedures is more crucial than ever to make trade more resilient and inclusive” noted Rupa Chanda, Director, Trade, Investment and Innovation Division, ESCAP. Participants of the national consultation agreed to further exchange ideas of how to better implement the recommendations of the Readiness Assessment for Cross-border Paperless Trade in Turkmenistan report according to the proposed Action Plan.

New York, 19 September – With COVID-19 exposing the fault-lines of education systems globally, more than 130 countries committed today to rebooting their education systems and accelerating action to end the learning crisis, at the UN Transforming Education Summit. The Summit deals with a crisis in education that has seen some 147 million students missing over half of their in-person instruction, since 2020.  In 2021, 244 million children and young people were out of school. The pandemic has harmed the learning of more than 90 % of the world’s children – the largest disruption in history – with half of all countries cutting their education budgets, further deepening the crisis. It is now estimated that 64.3 % of 10-year-olds are unable to read and understand a simple story. This means that, in a few years, 1 out of 3 persons will be unable to understand this very text, while 840 million young people will leave school in their teens with no qualifications for the workplace of the future. Yet less than half of countries have strategies to help children catch up. If that fails to happen, these students stand to lose $10 trillion in earnings over their working lives. “Instead of being the great enabler, education is fast becoming the great divider,” stated the UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “The rich have access to the best resources, schools and universities, leading to the best jobs while the poor – especially girls – face huge obstacles to getting the qualifications that could change their lives.” 130 countries commit to prioritize education  The commitments came after 115 national consultations that brought together leaders, teachers, students, civil society and other partners to gather collective recommendations on the most urgent asks. Nearly half of the countries prioritized measures to address ​learning loss, while a third of countries committed to supporting the psycho-social well-being of both students and teachers.​ Two in three countries ​also referenced measures to offset the direct and indirect costs of education for​ economically vulnerable communities, and 75% of countries underlined the importance of ​gender-sensitive education policies in their commitments. These statements underscored the role of education in achieving all the Sustainable Development Goals and linkages with the climate crises, conflict and poverty. Measures addressed COVID-19 recovery and getting back on track on the SDGs, while emphasizing the need for innovations in education to prepare the learners of today for a rapidly changing world. Key initiatives established, including biggest-ever investment in education The Secretary-General and Gordon Brown, the UN Special Envoy for Global Education, together announced the International Financing Facility for Education (IFFEd), the first-of-its-kind finance facility developed in partnership with the Governments of Sweden, the UK, the Netherlands as well as the Asian and African Development Banks. The IFFEd will provide an initial $2 billion in additional affordable funding for education programs to be disbursed starting in 2023 and could unlock an extra $10 billion of additional financing for education and skills by 2030. UNESCO and UNICEF launched Gateways to Public Digital Learning, a global multi-partner initiative to create and strengthen inclusive digital learning platforms and content. A Commitment to Action on Education in Crisis Situations was also revealed, as a commitment by member states and partners to transform education systems to better prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from crises. Calls to action were also announced on addressing the learning crisis by boosting foundational learning, advancing gender equality through and in education, and a Greening Education Partnership developed in response to the Secretary-General’s call that the climate crisis is ‘a battle for our lives’. Youth Declaration urges global leaders to act now On the opening day of the 3-day Summit, youth advocates shared a Youth Declaration with the Secretary-General, laying out their collective recommendations to policymakers on the transformation they want to see, along with their commitments for action on education. The Youth Declaration is a culmination of a months-long process of consultations, reflecting contributions from almost half a million young people. The Declaration states that “in order to redeem and remake the state of the world, we must first transform the state of education.” The Declaration demands that decision-makers include youth in education-related policy design and implementation, as partners and not just beneficiaries. It also demands investment in youth leadership and in gender-transformative education. Speaking at the launch, the Secretary-General underscored that if there was one seed to prevent climate change, violent conflict or poverty, it was education. During the Summit, the Secretary-General was also handed an open call to leaders to expand the right to free education for all children. The call was facilitated by Avaaz and endorsed by UN Messenger of Peace and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and climate activist Vanessa Nakate, and human rights champions. Secretary-General sets out education vision, paving way to Summit of the Future The Secretary-General’s Vision Statement released at the Summit lays out a path for education in the 21st century. It serves as an input to negotiations in preparation of the Summit of the Future which will be held at the UN General Assembly in 2024. The statement insists on continued global mobilization after the success of the Summit, and on Member States and partners keeping the flame of transformation burning. “We must push forward together, with a focus on tangible actions where it matters most: on the ground, in the classroom, and in the experience of teachers and learners alike.” The SDG 4 High-Level Steering Committee will be responsible for the follow-up process to further shape the future of education and meet 2030 SDG Education targets. The Committee will continue to monitor progress, promote and facilitate knowledge and practice exchange, engage youth, and champion cross-sector and multilateral cooperation. ### Key Transforming Education Summit links: Website: https://www.un.org/en/transforming-education-summit Programme: https://www.un.org/en/transforming-education-summit/programme Follow live: UN WebTV Press kit: Trello Media Contacts (interviews are available upon request)  Abdel-Rahman Ghandour, Head of Communications and Advocacy, Transforming Education Summit Secretariat, ghandour@unesco.org Langqi Xhao, Media Coordination, Transforming Education Summit Secretariat, xhao@unesco.org Francyne Harrigan, Chief, Sustainable Development, UN Department of Global Communications, harriganf@un.org Social Media  Twitter: @TransformingEdu LinkedIn: Education2030UN ➡️ Transforming Education Hashtag: #TransformingEducation

The UNDCO Regional Director was received in Ashgabat by H.E. Mr. Rashid Meredov, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. The UNDCO Regional Director commended the Government of Turkmenistan for the support in elevating to the new level the strategic partnership between Turkmenistan and UN. Ms. Son congratulated Turkmenistan on the upcoming Independence Day and 30th anniversary of its membership in the United Nations. At the meeting the parties exchanged views on the progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals within the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2021-2025 which is co-financed by the Government.  Among the topics discussed were the Transforming Educational Summit in New York and the support the United Nations system, led by UNICEF and UNESCO, will provide to the Government in fulfilling its goals.  The sides also discussed health, environment and the promotion of human rights. Ms. Son commended the efforts of the Government in its effort to establish a Regional Centre for Climate change mitigating technologies which aims to assist counties of Central Asia.   UNDCO Regional Director appreciated the release of the findings of the survey on Health and Status of a Woman in the Family and she also encouraged for the active engagement with other HR mechanisms. UNDCO Regional Director appreciated the release of the findings of the survey on Health and Status of a Woman in the Family and she also encouraged for the active engagement with other HR mechanisms. Ms. Son had bilateral meetings with Deputy Chairmen of the Cabinet of Ministers on Health, Education and Sports as well as on Agriculture and Environment along with a meeting with the Minister of Finance. During the meetings the cooperation on post Covid-19 recovery was stressed, including measures to strengthen public finance management, support investments in human capital and environment. She had also meetings with civil society organizations including Yenme, Keyik Okara, Center for support of people with disabilities, Physical-Sport Club of people with disabilities, Beyik Ynam, Agama, Yashyl Shohle, Society of Environment Protection of Turkmenistan, Eco Durmush, Society of Economics and Accountants of Turkmenistan where the development of partnership with UN Country Team was stressed. UNDCO Regional Director has also met with over 100 students and Young SDG Ambassadors where she spoke about the role of youth in realization of Sustainable Development Goals in Turkmenistan and encouraged Turkmen youth to be part of this important work.

The workshop gathered all members of the Working Group of the Interdepartmental Commission on the implementation of international obligations of Turkmenistan in the field of human rights and international humanitarian law (Interdepartmental Commission). The workshop was delivered by the international expert Mr. George Tugushi. “It is great honor to assist the Working Group of the Interdepartmental Commission in the preparation of the 2-4th Combined Periodic Report to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Convention on Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD) is a unique treaty, providing protection to millions of people with various disabilities all over the world. Turkmenistan was the first State in the region to ratify the CRPD and its Optional Protocol. Commitments under the CRPD open the opportunity for a number of important reforms, enhancing existing legal framework and practices providing better protection of the rights of persons with disabilities. The aim of the new combined national periodic report is to provide information on the status of implementation of the recommendations of the CRPD Committee for the 1st concluding observations, as well as provide information on current challenges and plans on realization of reforms in several important directions.”– said George Tugushi, UNDP international expert.  As a result of the workshop discussions with the Working Group of Interdepartmental Commission Mr. Tugushi will provide the final draft of the discussed document with respective recommendations to the Working Group of the Interdepartmental Commission for further review. Earlier Mr. Tugushi had a working meeting with representatives of civil society organizations and representatives of UN agencies in Turkmenistan on discussion of the implementation of CRPD in Turkmenistan. UN has been a long-term partner of the Government of Turkmenistan in the preparation of national reports to the UN human rights treaty bodies. This Combined Second, Third and Fourth National Periodic Report of Turkmenistan to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will contribute to the efforts of the country to comply with its international human rights obligations, as well as accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the country. *** The NHRAP 2021-2025 adopted by the Government in April 2021 aims at strengthening the national system of provision and protection of human rights and liberties in Turkmenistan, implementation of the international obligations of the country in the given area, and the expansion of cooperation with the international organizations in the humanitarian sphere. UN Turkmenistan provides support to the implementation of the NHRAP 2021-2025 in the framework of the project “Assistance in the realization National Action Plan of Turkmenistan in the Area of Human Rights for 2021-2025” jointly implemented with the Institute of State, Law, and Democracy of Turkmenistan. The project focuses on strengthening the national system of protection, promotion, and realization of human rights in Turkmenistan by harmonizing laws and practices in accordance with the country's international human rights obligations. Source: UNDP Turkmenistan