In Ashgabat, on September 18–19, UNDP organized intersectoral consultations within the framework of a round table on the topic “Psychosocial support for vulnerable youth and women at the community level”.

The event was held within the framework of the initiative “Increasing national capacity in the field of psychosocial support for vulnerable young people and women at the community level as preventive measures”, implemented jointly with the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of Turkmenistan (MLSP) and funded under the UNDP-DPPA Joint Program on building national capacity for conflict prevention.

Participants included representatives of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of Turkmenistan, the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan, the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan, national research and academic institutes and universities, a group of mental health and psychosocial support practitioners (MHPSS), as well as local community organizations.

During the two-day meeting, national priorities for psychosocial support for vulnerable youth and women at the community level as preventive measures were discussed.

Participants also discussed the development of a training course on MHPSS, which could be further integrated into professional development programs for representatives of the helping professions. Vitaly Klimchuk, an international expert on MHPSS, led the discussions online.

MHPSS training modules will be developed in accordance with the recommendations of intersectoral consultations and with international norms and standards. They will be presented to national partners for review and comments after the completion of the MHPSS trainings, which are scheduled to be held November 6-10, 2023, according to a UNDP press release.