Government of Turkmenistan, civil society and humanitarians discuss refugee emergency response

November 23, 2023 – Fifteen representatives of the Government of Turkmenistan, the National Red Crescent Society, civil society and United Nations organizations came together in Ashgabat to discuss emergency response in case of mass influx of refugees.

Facilitated by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, within the framework of its joint annual workplan with the Government Turkmenistan, the workshop sought to familiarise participants with the principles of international refugee protection, border management and identification of vulnerable groups, and humanitarian coordination mechanisms.

The workshop was opened by Atabayev Gurban, Head of the Department of Civil Defense Training and Retraining of the Ministry of Defense of Turkmenistan; Dmitry Shlapachenko, UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan; and Maral Achilova, Chairperson of the National Red Crescent Society of Turkmenistan. 

“In the last decade, the number of displaced people globally exceeded 100 million – 34.6 million of whom are refugees. This highlights the special necessity to have mechanisms in place to respond in case of emergency," said Dmitry Shlapachenko, UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan. "This workshop demonstrates the commitment of Turkmenistan to address challenges caused by a large-scale refugee crisis, and ensure a holistic approach to coordination between government, civil society and international organizations, and responding in line with international standards.”

Held the day after a UNHCR-led session for authorities and humanitarian partners on Statelessness Determination Procedures, the emergency workshop marked the successful completion of UNHCR activities within the UNHCR-Government of Turkmenistan 2023 joint workplan. 

Turkmenistan currently hosts 13 refugees and 3,351 stateless people. UNHCR supports the Government of Turkmenistan’s protection of forcibly displaced and stateless people, and its securing of sustainable solutions to their plight.

Across Central Asia, UNHCR focuses on strengthening local ownership and quality of asylum systems; promoting the local integration of refugees; supporting the eradication of statelessness; and collaborating with partners on emergency preparedness and response.