Strengthening the regulatory and legal framework for introduction of community-based social services to the social protection system of Turkmenistan

Participating UN agencies in the Joint Programme, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population of Turkmenistan, Mejlis of Turkmenistan, and other national partners took active part in the meetings.

During the meetings, a team of national and international consultants contracted by the UNFPA as part of Joint Programme presented a package of draft amendments and  regulations to the current legislation related to social service provision, as well as  recommendations on further developing the national legislative framework and align it to the international standards.

The proposed legislative changes to the social service provision legal framework are aimed at creating a legal basis for piloting a new model of community-based social services that are expected to start in May of the current year.

The draft legislative documents introduced several new concepts related to social work and its role in the provision of community-based social services. Thus, a legal background is to be created for the system of social service provision so that it can leave the medical paradigm in providing social services and develop a new model of community-based social services focused on the individual needs of people and aims to improve their life quality. All proposed amendments and recommendations are person-centered and rights-based and focus on engaging with individuals to help them to identify and address the barriers in their lives preventing the realization of their rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and other international rights frameworks to which the Government of Turkmenistan is signatory.

Working group members expressed their gratitude to the team of consultants for their hard work in developing a package of basic and flagship draft documents, as well as recommendations for further strengthening the regulatory framework of social service provision in the long term. It was agreed that the whole package of draft documents to be sent to national partners, for their further actions on their part to introduce these additions and amendments to the relevant laws.

The Joint Programme “Improving the system of social protection through the introduction of inclusive quality community-based social services”, funded by the Joint SDG Fund, is being implemented by the partnering UN agencies, namely, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, and UNODC and Government of Turkmenistan. The Joint Programme aims to introduce a new model of social services at the community level accompanied by relative legislative reviews and capacity building of national social service workforce. The lead national partner is the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of Turkmenistan and the lead UN agency is UNICEF. Other key national partners include the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and Medical Industry, and Ministry of Finance and Economy.

Implementation period: 2020-2022.