Specialized educational school No. 21 hosted students, teachers, and representatives from government agencies who gathered to discuss one of the most pressing challenges of our time. Participants had the unique opportunity to hear a video message from the Executive Director of UNODC, Ms. Ghada Waly, who emphasized that the fight against crime is a collective responsibility. Experts from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan and the General Prosecutor’s Office shed light on local and global aspects of combating crime, while representatives from the NGO “Yenme” conducted an interactive session dedicated to human trafficking. An engaging quiz and video materials allowed students to gain a deeper understanding of the issue and demonstrate impressive knowledge. Winners were awarded commemorative prizes.A lecture by Olga Charyeva on mental health and digital safety resonated strongly with the audience, highlighting the relevance of these issues for today’s youth. A vibrant flash mob by UN volunteers under the slogan “Creative Solutions for a Safer World” culminated the event, uniting all participants in a shared commitment to building a safer future. The active participation of school volunteers, who prepared a skit and presentation on combating crime, demonstrated the readiness of the younger generation to take an active civic stance. The event was not only informative but also inspiring, showing that everyone can contribute to the fight against transnational organized crime.

 8 NOVEMBER 2024, ASHGABAT – Officials from 10 countries gathered in Ashgabat today for a ministerial conference to end statelessness in Central Asia and to celebrate the region’s achievements toward that goal.Titled Ending Statelessness in Central Asia Ministerial Conference, the Ashgabat event was convened by the Government of Turkmenistan and UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, with participants from the Governments of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as UN agencies, and international organizations. Central Asia leads the world on the issue with the Kyrgyz Republic and Turkmenistan being the only two countries to have resolved all known cases of statelessness.Turkmenistan detailed its efforts to achieve this and urged others to join them in ensuring that people everywhere have a nationality. Steps taken included introducing a law on Civil Status Acts to ensure universal birth registration, adopting a National Action Plan to end statelessness, and establishing a detailed Statelessness Determination Procedure.Citizenship documents were presented to the remaining 1,146 stateless people at a ceremony in Ashgabat on 25 September this year, completing the process of resolving all known cases in the country.Turkmenistan has the additional distinction of having acceded to both the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, instruments which offer a shared foundation to prevent statelessness and protect stateless persons worldwide. UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Ms. Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, congratulated Turkmenistan. “We commend Turkmenistan on resolving all known cases of statelessness and its ongoing commitment to ensure no one is left behind in its sustainable development,” she said. “States in the region have made significant progress over the last decade, with one in every three cases of statelessness resolved worldwide being in Central Asia. It is possible that Central Asia could become the first sub-region in the world to resolve all cases of statelessness.” Millions of people around the world are denied a nationality, without which they cannot fully access their human rights and participate in society. As only States can grant or confirm nationality, the cooperation of governments in preventing and reducing statelessness is crucial.The achievements of Central Asian States represent intergenerational solutions for whole communities. Instead of being born into the condition of statelessness, each successive generation will now acquire nationality by descent from those who were granted citizenship, improving inclusion and opportunity for thousands of people. As of November, over 30,000 people remain stateless in Central Asia, signaling the need for continued and concerted efforts and commitment. Most stateless people in Central Asia are ex-citizens of the former Soviet Union, or their descendants, who have not yet acquired or confirmed citizenship of the independent States.Building on the concrete gains and momentum of the #IBelong campaign, efforts and commitments to address statelessness will continue under the new Global Alliance to End Statelessness, launched by UNHCR on 14 October.Turkmenistan has shown international leadership on this front too, becoming the first country in Central Asia to join the new Alliance. Global Alliance to End StatelessnessIn 2014, UNHCR launched the 10-year #IBelong Campaign to end statelessness, to catalyse commitment, action and solidarity to eradicate statelessness. Over the past 10 years, the campaign has made significant progress in preventing and reducing statelessness through the combined efforts of States, civil society organizations, United Nations agencies, academic institutions, and regional and stateless-led organizations. As the #IBelong Campaign ends, UNHCR launched the Global Alliance to End Statelessness on 14 October 2024.The Global Alliance to End Statelessness is a collaborative multi-stakeholder platform. Its vision is for “a world free from statelessness where everyone enjoys the right to a nationality without discrimination.” The Alliance brings together States, stateless-led organizations, UN agencies, civil society organizations and regional intergovernmental and inter-parliamentary organizations to facilitate joint action to end statelessness and to protect the rights of stateless persons. It seeks to provide a platform for learning, exchange and collaboration. The Global Alliance will catalyse and accelerate change by identifying and responding to gaps in laws, policies and practice, and building the political commitment needed to eradicate statelessness and uphold the rights of stateless people.For more information please contact:In Bangkok, Tiy Chung, chung@unhcr.orgIn Almaty, Aiya Siyaz, siyaz@unhcr.orgIn Almaty, Mariko Hall, hallma@unhcr.org

Copenhagen, 30 October 2024  The Member States of the WHO European Region have nominated Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge to the office of WHO Regional Director for Europe for a second 5-year term, which will begin in February 2025 after his formal election by the WHO Executive Board. Addressing delegates at the 74th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, meeting in Copenhagen (RC74), Dr Kluge expressed his gratitude. “Serving as WHO Regional Director for Europe has been the honour of my life, and I am truly so thankful – and humbled – by the overwhelming support demonstrated for my nomination. Looking ahead to my second term next year, my first task will be to consult all 53 Member States across Europe and central Asia, as well as all our health partners, to develop our next 5-year plan together, also known as the European Programme of Work’s second edition,” said Dr Kluge. “We will continue to build on the many successes of the past 5 years, including our work on pandemic preparedness and health system strengthening, mental health, digital health, and immunization. But we will also expand our priorities to include critical areas like strengthening national health security, tackling the health impacts of the climate crisis, taking urgent action on antimicrobial resistance and promoting healthy ageing amid rapidly shifting demographics. All of this will be complemented by a renewed focus on women, girls and youth, including by addressing the damaging pushback on sexual and reproductive health and rights, and a concerning rise in gender-based violence.”Member States at RC74 have also been discussing how to work with WHO/Europe and within their own countries to tackle 4 pressing issues: adopting a framework for resilient and sustainable health systems, underpinned by strong levels of trust, a renewed commitment to primary health care and increased investment in the health workforce; strengthening health emergency preparedness, response and resilience in the European Region – also known as Preparedness 2.0;enhancing emergency medical teams capacity up to 2030, to ensure rapid deployments to acute health emergencies wherever they occur; and developing a strategy for harnessing health innovations and emerging technologies in the Region, which will be presented for endorsement in 2025. Resilient and sustainable health systems Member States acknowledge the need to continue to invest in and strengthen their health systems, learning lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, improving the health and well-being of citizens will rest on a number of critical actions, such as bolstering the role of primary health care and family doctors; investing in the health workforce of tomorrow through proper training, recruitment and retention; harnessing digital solutions and artificial intelligence in health care; and developing sustainable financing models that ensure health systems have the necessary funds to deliver quality care. “It’s time to shift our mind sets and view health once and for all as an essential investment and not just a cost to the taxpayer,” continued Dr Kluge. “Evidence across our Region and globally shows that investments in the health sector are not a drain on the economy – quite the opposite. In fact, the health sector provides multiple benefits beyond individual and community health and well-being. It promotes economic growth and job creation, contributes to social cohesion, and improves workforce efficiency, to name just 3.”Preparedness 2.0 Preparedness 2.0 is WHO/Europe’s new regional strategy and action plan for health emergency preparedness, response and resilience for the coming 5 years (2024–2029). Designed to elevate efforts in the Region to prepare for, prevent, respond to and become more resilient to health emergencies, this forward-thinking plan takes preparedness to the next level as it builds on the lessons learned from recent crises. “We have an opportunity to absorb and implement the lessons of COVID-19 and other health emergencies, and apply them in a strategic, ambitious yet practical way to ensure we are better prepared for whatever may happen,” said Dr Kluge. “Adopting a dual track approach is key, whereby health systems are designed to deliver essential health services while at the same time being ready to scale up and respond to health emergencies at short notice. Preparedness 2.0 also complements ongoing efforts by WHO Member States to reach a global Pandemic Accord, along with recent amendments to the International Health Regulations.” Emergency medical teams The Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) Regional Action Plan 2024–2030 paves the way for countries of the European Region to establish and strengthen their own EMT capacities. By supporting national efforts, this plan ensures high-quality, life-saving medical services are closer to those who need them in times of crisis. The European Region is already home to one of the world’s strongest EMT networks, comprising over 85 teams with more than 75 000 highly trained medical professionals, providing a solid foundation for implementing the Regional Action Plan.“From natural disasters to conflicts to disease outbreaks, the goal is better preparedness and faster response, ensuring everyone, everywhere, receives the care they need when it matters most. We’ve seen how critical EMTs have been to our health response to the war in Ukraine, the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and climate-related emergencies. Together, we’re making sure that every country in our Region can stand strong, equipped, and ready to respond with EMT support to a range of health challenges,” said Dr Kluge. Harnessing health innovations and emerging technologies In the face of multiple crises, the unfinished agenda of noncommunicable diseases and mental health, an ageing population and shortages of health workers, business as usual is simply not an option for European Region health systems. The health sector must adopt innovation as a core process in promoting health. The Region has many innovation hubs in health, but they can often operate in silos and fail to exchange knowledge and ideas with other sectors, including public health. New solutions emerge daily, often too fast for governments to evaluate, adapt and adopt. That is why Member States are working together to develop a strategy to harness health innovations and emerging technologies, with a view to endorsing the strategy at next year’s Regional Committee meeting. “We have limitless opportunities to exploit technological, social and financial innovations in the European Region,” noted Dr Kluge. “These new technologies can revolutionize patient experiences, help manage chronic conditions, promote good health and well-being, and support our health and care workers. But despite their promise, we are yet to unleash their full potential. Countries still struggle to finance, implement and form partnerships with start-ups and innovation hubs, and share the benefits on innovation ethically and equitably. Together, by building on the solid examples of innovations we’ve already established in digital health and novel medicines in recent years, we hope to change that.”Permacrisis the new normalDr Kluge began his first term as Regional Director just as the COVID-19 pandemic was taking hold, devastating lives and livelihoods everywhere, placing unprecedented pressures on health systems. As COVID-19 began to come under control, another health emergency, mpox, initially emerged in the European Region before becoming a global concern. Added to that were extreme weather events including heatwaves and floods, the earthquakes in Türkiye and Northwest Syria, as well as acute, long-running humanitarian crises in Ukraine, and Gaza, Israel and Lebanon. In short, the past 5 years have been marked by a permanent state of crisis – or permacrisis – challenging health systems and health workers on multiple fronts.  “By identifying and acting on priorities of importance to the almost 1 billion people across Europe and central Asia, our Member States display welcome solidarity and multilateralism at a time of deepening distrust and division,” concluded Dr Kluge. “Health can and does bring countries and communities together. We at WHO/Europe are grateful for the opportunity to work with our Member States and partners to help shape the future of health for the benefit of all.”

The event brought together cryosphere research experts, data management specialists, and policymakers. The event was conducted using the GEF IW:LEARN methodology for Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis and Strategic Action Plans (TDA/SAP). The main goal of the workshop was to present to local specialists the status of the cryosphere in other Central Asian, discuss key challenges in monitoring and research, propose solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change on the cryosphere in Turkmenistan. Chinar Rustamova, Executive Secretary of the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO, opened the event, emphasizing that Turkmenistan aims to expand cooperation with international organizations like the UN, UNESCO, and UNDP to address issues of rational water resource management and climate change."The dynamics of global warming lead to the reduction and melting of glaciers, which disrupts the planet’s water balance, including our region’s, where water levels in the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers are declining," said Chinar Rustamova.“Our country, like others dependent on the Amu Darya’s waters, relies heavily on the flow of its tributaries originating from the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountain ranges,” noted Pirli Kepbanov, the Director of the National Institute of Deserts, Flora, and Fauna under the Ministry of Nature Protection of Turkmenistan. He highlighted that the health of the Amu Darya directly influences the country’s water supply and ecosystems, including the Karakum River, which provides up to 90% of the nation’s freshwater needs.Participants discussed the outcomes of the cryosphere assessment in Central Asia, examining key issues identified during previous seminars, with a particular emphasis on the context of Turkmenistan. The second day focused on interactive group discussions, where participants explored stakeholders' perspectives, identified priorities in raising awareness, capacity building, and planning pilot activities for Turkmenistan under the project. “The workshop was filled with interactive discussions, which facilitated an active exchange of experiences and the development of concrete next steps,” said Nana Baramidze, Project Manager.The outcomes of the fruitful work during the workshop should significantly contribute to the development of scenario-based strategies to address future changes in the cryosphere across Central Asia and to enhance regional cooperation and adaptation measures. The project "Strengthening the Resilience of Central Asian Countries through Regional Cooperation on the Assessment of Glacio-Nival Systems to Develop Integrated Sustainable Development and Climate Change Adaptation Strategies," financed by the GEF through UNDP and implemented by UNESCO, addresses a critical environmental challenge in the region – the degradation of snow, glacier, and permafrost systems (glacio-nival systems), which are key sources of water for Central Asian countries. As the region heavily relies on these systems for water supply, agriculture, and energy, understanding and preserving them is essential. The project aims to strengthen regional cooperation and collaboratively develop strategies to enhance resilience to climate change and changes in the cryosphere.