Joint Statement of UN Country Team

On October 24th, 2020 we will be marking the 75th anniversary of the United Nations under the global theme “The future we want, the United Nations we need: reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism – confronting COVID-19 through effective multilateral action”.

We, the United Nations agencies working in and with Turkmenistan, come together to highlight the joint efforts to combat the global pandemic, mitigate its consequences, and build back better for the people of Turkmenistan. We would like to not only share the achievements so far and what we see as lying ahead but would also like to engage with all partners and the public on how we could strengthen our work.

The United Nations system in Turkmenistan is working closely with the national government, civil society and partners from the public and private sector since the onset of the global crisis. We supported the Government of Turkmenistan to develop a “National Plan for Preparedness and Response to Acute Infectious Diseases” and an “Immediate Socio-economic Response Plan to Acute Infectious Disease Pandemic”. Both plans were endorsed by the Government of Turkmenistan at the highest level, and the UN will continue to support Turkmenistan in the implementation of these plans which are aimed at preventing the spread of the pandemic in the country and mitigating its impact on the population of Turkmenistan.

The UN is particularly concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on the vulnerable populations identified in the “Immediate Socio-economic Response Plan to Acute Infectious Disease Pandemic”: women, healthcare providers, elderly persons and those with pre-existing medical conditions, elderly persons living alone, persons living in overcrowded housing, young people, children, migrant workers, people with disabilities, people living in closed facilities, people living in remote locations, stateless persons, refugees and people living in difficult economic situations. As we know from global experience, these vulnerable populations require extra support measures.

We will recover from COVID-19 but we must use this opportunity to build back a more equal, inclusive, sustainable, safer and healthier planet. In the spirit of the Sustainable Development Goals and within the Decade of Actions launched by UN Secretary General we need to work together to ensure no group is left behind.

In the coming weeks leading up to UN Day on October 24th, we will share information on how UN Team in Turkmenistan provides coordinated support to the Government of Turkmenistan through our social media channels and websites and invite our partners and the people of Turkmenistan to engage with us. We are looking forward to continuing our joint work to shape our future together.