Ashgabat, November 14, 2025 – The Europe Today: A meeting was held on November 13, 2025, at the Women’s Union of Turkmenistan between Oguljahan Atabayeva, Vice President for Medical Activities of the Charity Fund for Providing Assistance to Children in Need of Guardianship named after Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, and Dmitry Shlapachenko, UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan, to review ongoing humanitarian cooperation and future joint initiatives.
Shlapachenko expressed sincere gratitude for the opportunity to meet, praising the Foundation’s humanitarian efforts to protect children’s health and ensure their well-being. He commended Turkmenistan’s continued engagement with the United Nations in key areas related to social development.
Warmly welcoming the UN representative, Atabayeva highlighted Turkmenistan’s long-standing and productive cooperation with the UN, noting that since becoming a full member of the organization in its early years of independence, the country has prioritized collaboration across vital areas of society.
She underscored that the Charity Fund places special emphasis on issues related to children’s health, development, education, and social security. She recalled that the Foundation works closely with UNICEF in Turkmenistan, with the cooperation reaffirmed through the signing of a joint document at the Foundation’s 4th anniversary international conference held in March.
The meeting also covered preparations for the upcoming International Conference “The Role of Women in Modern Society: Developing International Cooperation for Sustainable Development,” scheduled for December in the Avaza National Tourist Zone. Shlapachenko noted that all necessary conditions have been created to host a high-level event in Avaza.
He emphasized that under the leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Turkmenistan is actively advancing gender policy objectives in line with the national philosophy of “Dialogue is the Guarantee of Peace,” with these efforts widely highlighted in local and international media.
It was further noted that Turkmenistan was the first in the region to initiate a Women’s Dialogue among Central Asian countries. The platform, established at the initiative of the National Leader of the Turkmen People and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Hero-Arkadag, was created in partnership with the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia and the UN Development Programme.
Shlapachenko stressed that the UN highly values Turkmenistan’s commitment to promoting gender equality, including improving women’s access to high-quality healthcare and education.
Concluding the meeting, Atabayeva and Shlapachenko expressed confidence that their discussions would provide fresh impetus to strengthening cooperation in support of children’s welfare and women’s empowerment in Turkmenistan.
