UNICEF signs five year development plan with the Government of TurkmenistanAshgabat, Turkmenistan, 29 March 2005 – The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, signed a five year development plan with the Government of Turkmenistan on Tuesday that sets out specific programmes to achieve goals in health, education, water and sanitation, protection and other related issues for children throughout the country. “It is a very special and important occasion that brings us here today, for the signing of the Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP) marks another stage in the close cooperation and consultation between the United Nations Children’s Fund and the Government of Turkmenistan,” said Mahboob Shareef, UNICEF Representative, in his speech before signing the development plan with the Minister of Foreign Affairs. “This signing shows the commitment of the Government of Turkmenistan to the development of the country and we look forward to further cooperation and consultation with government officials and ministries over the next five years and ever more speedy implementation of yearly work plans for the benefit of children,” Shareef added. The signing with UNICEF was part of a ceremony that also saw similar five year development plans signed between the Government and the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Population Fund. All three Country Programme Action Plans come under the United Nations Development Assistance Framework to Turkmenistan that defines areas of cooperation and specific results forged with the Government. In his speech, Shareef also warmly welcomed the Government’s decision earlier this week to ratify seven United Nations protocols, three of which deal directly with children and women. “The ultimate beneficiaries of all these agreements and international cooperation are the children of Turkmenistan – the country’s greatest asset, and today’s signing of the CPAP brings into force the latest Country Programme of Cooperation for Children 2005-2009 between the Government and UNICEF,” Shareef said. This country programme has three major components: (1) Policy Advocacy and Development Planning for Children; (2) Institutional Capacity Development; and (3) the Velayats Programme for Children, which seeks to provide a consolidated package of services (including health, education and other support) to selected districts in each of Turkmenistan’s five provinces or velayats. UNICEF regards today’s signing as another constructive outcome of the joint collaboration between the Government of Turkmenistan and the United Nations Children’s Fund, Shareef said, adding that UNICEF remains committed to working with the government to help it fulfil its national priorities and international obligations covering children’s rights. For more information, please contact Mr. Brian Hansford, UNICEF Communication Specialist, at:
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