OSCE Senior Gender Adviser visits Turkmenistan

Discussions about the OSCE’s support for Turkmenistan’s ongoing efforts to promote gender equality were the focus of meetings held during the visit of the OSCE’s Senior Gender Adviser, Amarsanaa Darisuren, to Ashgabat from 28 February to 2 March 2018.

During her first working visit to Central Asia, which was hosted by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, Darisuren met national and international partners in Turkmenistan.

Representatives of the Mejlis, Turkmenistan’s parliament, informed the OSCE on the progress made in strengthening national legislative and policy frameworks on human rights and gender equality. They stressed that sharing experiences with other countries was important for effective implementation of international and national norms. Darisuren encouraged making use of the OSCE as a platform for sharing good practices and experiences.

During the roundtable discussion about national mechanisms regarding gender equality the participants touched upon the importance of sharing best practices with other countries in the Central Asian region. Ambassador Natalya Drozd, who opened the event, noted that the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat has agreed with the Turkmen authorities to focus more on gender equality issues in its future work.

The discussions with representatives of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights and the Women’s Union of Turkmenistan covered such important topics as the situation of women with disabilities and domestic violence. The government representatives highlighted that data and analyses are being gathered to develop further measures to implement the 2015 National Action Plan on Gender Equality in Turkmenistan. It was also mentioned that women’s participation in the labor market has increased, and the government is making efforts to develop vocational education and flexible working arrangements for women.