UNODC and partners marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in Turkmenistan

Disability inclusion is an essential condition to upholding human rights, sustainable development, and peace and security. It is also central to the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals to ‘leave no one behind’. The commitment to realizing the rights of persons with disabilities is not only a matter of justice; it is an investment in a common future. To mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, UNODC underlines the need to prioritize the inclusion of persons with disabilities.  

On 3 December, 2022, within the framework of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, UNODC and ‘Enme’ Public Organization of Turkmenistan with the support of the Ministry of Trade and Social Protection of Turkmenistan, the Embassy of Türkiye in Turkmenistan and USAID joined their efforts and hosted the social event ‘We are strong, we are equal’ at the Ashgabat Turkish Center in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. 

Chary Atayev, UNODC Head of Office in Turkmenistan in his welcoming remarks highlighted: “People with disabilities want to be a part of the society, just like everyone else. We should all be the masters of our own life. For persons with disabilities, it can be difficult to find a new job. They are constantly confronted with barriers that sometimes are simply insurmountable. It should not be so. Persons with disabilities have the right to have good conditions in the workplace, to live independently, have equal opportunities to participate fully in the life of their community. Everyone has a right to live a life without barriers. And it is our obligation, as a community, to ensure their full participation in social life on an equal basis with others.” 

About 100 people with disabilities, members of vulnerable families, activists and volunteers demonstrated their talents and creative skills through participating in competitions, quizzes, reading poetry, dancing, and singing songs in several languages.

“Often people with disabilities are excluded from social life. This social event gives them a chance to demonstrate that they are equal, strong, and talented along with the other people, it makes them to be visible and socially integrated,” - said Gulya Chorekliyeva, Head of ‘Enme‘  Public Organization.

The social event was also attended by the representatives of the embassies of US and Türkiye, diplomatic missions in Turkmenistan, public organizations, private sector, volunteers, and the people of Ashgabat city.

The annual observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) on 3 December was proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3.The theme this year is “Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fueling an accessible and equitable world“.

The 2022 global observance to commemorate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is around the overarching theme of innovation and transformative solutions for inclusive development, covering in three different interactive dialogues the following thematic topics:

-       Innovation for disability inclusive development in employment (SDG8): this dialogue will discuss the linkages between employment, knowledge and skills required to access employment in an innovative, rapidly changing technological landscape to all and how assistive technologies can increase accessibility to employment and be mainstreamed in the workplace;

-       Innovation for disability inclusive development in reducing inequality (SDG10): this dialogue will discuss innovations, practical tools and good practices to reduce inequalities in both public and private sectors, which are disability inclusive and interested in promoting diversity in the workplace.

-       Innovation for disability inclusive development: sport as an exemplar case: a sector where all of these aspects coalesce; sport as a good practice example and a site of innovation, employment and equity.

For further information please contact:    

Arifa Fatikhova  

Communications and External Relations Officer

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 

Regional Office for Central Asia

Mobile: (+998 99) 825-05-43 | Email: arifa.fatikhova[at]un.org