UNICEF Training Held at the UN Permanent Mission in Ashgabat
From May 12 to 17, 2025, a training session titled “Issues of Ethical Representation of Children” was held at the Permanent Mission of the United Nations in Ashgabat. The event was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan in cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Representatives of mass media, as well as faculty members and students from relevant higher educational institutions in the country – including the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan – participated in the training.
Developing active cooperation with reputable international organizations – primarily the United Nations and its specialized agencies – is one of the key directions of the foreign policy strategy of Neutral Turkmenistan. In this context, the relationship between Turkmenistan and UNICEF continues to grow consistently and at a high level. As is well known, UNICEF was established in 1946 to promote children’s rights worldwide, and today it operates in more than 190 countries, working to ensure the protection, health, and education of children and young citizens.
Cooperation between Turkmenistan and UNICEF dates back to 1994. That year, UNICEF became one of the first international organizations to establish a permanent presence in Turkmenistan. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was also among the first international human rights documents Turkmenistan signed as an independent state.
Currently, cooperation between Turkmenistan and UNICEF is steadily expanding. Notably, Turkmenistan was unanimously elected to serve as a member of the UNICEF Executive Board for the 2024–2026 period. This stands as a testament to the productive and long-term nature of the partnership. At present, the cooperation is being carried out within the framework of a relevant program.
The main objective of the recent training was to support the implementation of goals such as ensuring children’s health, proper nutrition, early development, social protection, and access to high-quality inclusive education – and to promote the effective reflection of these priorities in mass media.
Berdigylych YAZMYRADOV
3rd-year studento of Faculty of International Journalism
of the Institute of International Relations
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.