UN supports aligning Turkmenistan’s national health indicators with the 2030 Agenda

The compliance of the national health indicators with the international methodology will specifically support the monitoring and reporting of the progress in Sustainable Development Goals in a Turkmenistan context.

Ms. Bahar Agayeva, Head of the Statistics Department of the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry, facilitated the working session attended by the representatives of the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan, State Statistics Committee of Turkmenistan, UNFPA and World Health Organization in Turkmenistan.  The participants discussed the application of the SDG metadata to the national indicators on maternal mortality ratio, the proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel, the proportion of women of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years) who have their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods, and adolescent birth rate.

The meeting reviewed the compliance of the indicators and their processing, clarified technical questions, worked out the reporting structure and identified the areas of focus, such as the development of the methodological guide for processing data under SDG health targets and indicators. 

Earlier UNFPA conducted the Baseline Assessment of the Sustainable Development Goals indicators that relate to reproductive rights and maternal health, gender equality and data for development - the key issues promoted by the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), the main guiding document for UNFPA’s efforts globally and in Turkmenistan.

“The need for analyzing the compliance of the national health indicators with the internationally adopted methodology was one of the findings and recommendations of the Baseline Assessment initiated by UNFPA,” said Ms. Bayramgul Garabayeva, UNFPA Assistant Representative.  “The Government already has a system in place for data collection and reporting, and UNFPA stands ready to further advance the existing system and national capacity and align it with the international standards.  Aligning the national indicators with the international SDG metadata will strengthen the quality of monitoring and reporting of the SDG progress in the country,” she said.

The focus of the assessment was on a detailed evaluation to consolidate, further analyze, disaggregate the existing data to serve as SDG baselines and to inform programming and policymaking for women and population and development actions.  Other findings of the Assessment include the establishment of an internet resource with the SDG data and information on the country’s progress towards SDG targets, gaps in data availability and potential solutions.

Technical meetings will continue with the national partners on aligning the national indicators on gender equality, quality education and data for development.