State Statistics Committee and UNICEF release the Survey results of Children and Adults with Disabilities

The survey was conducted across the country, in both rural and urban areas, and included 4352 households with members receiving state disability benefit or pension on disability. The sample was drawn from the administrative database of persons receiving social protection benefits provided by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection.

The release of the survey results was timely as it contributed to the preparation of the combined second and third State Party periodic report of Turkmenistan to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Turkmenistan will submit in October 2022.

The survey provides a wealth of statistically sound data essential for developing evidence-based policies and programmes, and for monitoring progress towards national goals and global commitments. It is particularly valuable for understanding the barriers and bottlenecks in accessing quality and inclusive services for people with disability and facilitates the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Protecting the rights of children with disabilities is an integral part of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is the first international treaty Turkmenistan ratified (in 1993) and which explicitly recognizes the rights of children with disabilities. Turkmenistan was also one of the first countries to join the UN CRPD in 2008.

Support to people with disabilities is a long-standing priority of the Government of Turkmenistan. In line with the 2015 recommendations for Turkmenistan of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and as a lead UN agency on disability, UNICEF has been supporting the Government to align the national legislation with the CRPD, to strengthen early intervention and inclusive support services for children with disabilities and their families, develop an inclusive education system, and conduct data collection among people with disabilities. The latest survey comes to fulfill an important data need about children and adults with disabilities living in Turkmenistan.

Survey results are available upon request from State Statistics Committee and UNICEF.