Today, on World Children’s Day and the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Turkmenistan’s young ambassador for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Nartach Garayeva and UNICEF Representative Christine Weigand called on everyone to reimagine a better future for every child in a post-pandemic world.

As a co-facilitator of today’s interactive online session, Nartach addressed participants - government partners, UN agencies, diplomatic community and international organizations, public organizations, academia, media and young people – with one important message. “Children and young people can be catalysts of positive changes. We want to participate in all matters that affect our lives,” said Nartach as she skillfully co-facilitated the event together with the UNICEF Representative.

“World Children’s Day 2020 is celebrated in a completely different world, marked by the global crisis we are all confronting: the coronavirus pandemic,” said Christine Weigand. “Without urgent action, this health crisis risks becoming a child-rights crisis.As we all reimagine the future and look ahead toward a post-pandemic world, children must come first.” she said.

UNICEF Representative calledon all stakeholders to work together for children everywhere and to:

• Ensure all children learn, including by closing the digital divide.
• Guarantee access to nutrition and health services and make vaccines affordable and available to every child.
• Support and protect the mental health of children and young people and prevent abuse, gender-based violence and neglect in childhood.
• Increase access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene and address environmental degradation and climate change.
• Ensure social protection of vulnerable families and children and ensure an inclusive recovery for all.
• Redouble efforts to protect and support migrant children and their families.

Organized in partnership with the Institute of State, Law and Democracy, this year’s World Children’s Day event brought all UNICEF partners together to take stock of the joint achievements in 2020 to realize the rights of children in Turkmenistan.The Institute briefed about the national report submitted recently to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, while partners from the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection and State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting and Cinematography talked about the joint achievements in health, education, social protection and media and communication. As UNICEF will start its new programme of cooperation next year, Christine Weigand presented the priorities and outlined programme strategies to achieve results for children in the coming five years.