Round table discussion on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals held in Turkmenistan

On December 19, 2018, a round table meeting was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan to discuss the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Turkmenistan. The round table was attended by the representatives of the ministries and sectoral departments of Turkmenistan, heads of representative offices of UN agencies and departments in Turkmenistan.

Speaking at the meeting, the Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan E.Annamuhamedov noted that the implementation of the SDGs is one of the important priorities of the country's economic development, to which the head of state pays special attention.

2018 laid the foundation for the implementation of 148 out of the 169 SDG objectives to be achieved by Turkmenistan in the medium term in three key strategic areas - the economy, the social sphere and environmental security.

The UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan E. Panova, speaking of system interaction, noted that Turkmenistan was one of the first countries in the region to determine sustainable development priorities for itself over the next 15 years. E.Panova, in the course of her speech, told about the structure of the Voluntary National Review and recommended steps for preparing a national report.

In addition, presentations were held on the “Sample Reporting Form for Achieving the SDGs and Methodological Guidelines for Preparing an Analytical Note” and “Sample Measurement Methodology for Measuring the Accepting SDG Indicators adopted by Turkmenistan”.

During the discussions, participants noted that the process of implementing the SDGs in Turkmenistan is a coordinated system in which a large role is given to the issue of monitoring and evaluation, since the introduction of the SDGs is aimed at improving development indicators in the economy and society as a whole.