Government and UN Sign the Agreement on UN House

The agreement was signed following the UN Country Office relocation to the new UN House which was dedicated by UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-moon and President of Turkmenistan Mr. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov on 26 November 2016. 

As it was mentioned during the signing ceremony, the UN House provides a powerful platform for finding solutions to development tasks of Turkmenistan and can thereby serve as an important catalyst for accelerated implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The current premises have all conditions for productive work of the UN Agencies present in Turkmenistan to support the country in realization of its national priorities for the sustainable development. Currently, the UN House accommodates seven UN Agencies – UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNODC, WHO, IOM, World Bank and the UN Department for Safety and Security with nearly 100 international and local UN staff. 

“The United Nations is proud of its long-standing partnership relations with Turkmenistan, which have been evolving since 1993. In this period many notable advances have been achieved in the area of governance, rule of law, human rights, economic development, healthcare, education and social protection”, Ms. Elena Panova, the UN Resident Coordinator, stressed in her speech.

The ceremony of signing was followed by a short meeting of Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Mr. Rashid Meredov with the heads of UN Agencies, at which the priority areas of UN-Turkmenistan cooperation, as well as interaction to realize the UN Development System reform were discussed. It was agreed to hold regular meetings to update on the process of ongoing work in order to achieve the mutual goals.