A meeting was held in Ashgabat, where the first Joint program of the UN and the government of Turkmenistan "Improving the social protection system through the introduction of inclusive quality social services at the community level" was presented to international donors supporting the global Joint Fund of the UN SDG. This is reported in the press release of the UN Mission in Turkmenistan.

The joint program in Turkmenistan is aimed at developing a system in which the mechanism for providing monetary benefits and the work of inpatient social service institutions will be complemented by inclusive social services at the community level, in order to enable vulnerable segments of the population to lead independent lives in their communities. This will further expand the importance of social work in the country's transformed social service delivery system, which focuses on the most vulnerable to meet their specific needs.

The meeting was attended by permanent representatives to the UN, ambassadors accredited to Turkmenistan, representatives of organizations that contribute financially to the Global joint SDG Fund, heads of UN agencies in Turkmenistan, and high - ranking officials of the Ministry of labor and social protection of Turkmenistan, the leading national partner of the Joint program.

UN resident coordinator in Turkmenistan Elena Panova opened the meeting:

As representatives of the UN system in Turkmenistan, we are particularly proud to have received funding from The joint SDG Fund as part of the first call for proposals launched last year and focused on comprehensive policy solutions for social protection and the implementation of the main principle of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. - Leaving no one behind.

The permanent representative of Turkmenistan to the United Nations, Aksoltan Atayeva, made a keynote speech.

During the meeting, the heads of UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA and UNODC - the four agencies participating in the program-presented the goals, objectives and results achieved so far in the implementation of the Joint program.

All speakers stressed the importance of the joint program for the country and vulnerable segments of the population, especially in times of serious challenges that the world is currently facing in connection with the developing pandemic. Participants expressed their appreciation to the SDG Fund's donor countries for helping UN member States implement their national development priorities within the framework of the 2030 Agenda.

The joint SDG Fund, established by the UN Secretary-General, supports countries in accelerating progress towards the SDG by integrating economic, social and environmental policies and applying a multidimensional and inter sectoral approach to addressing complex social issues. It serves as an effective mechanism to strengthen support for UN country teams in achieving the sustainable development goals.