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On February 18-19, a seminar, dedicated to the issues of introducing a comprehensive gender approach with the aim of further improving legislation in the field of protecting women from domestic violence was held at the UN building in Ashgabat with the participation of representatives of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan. The event was organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) together with the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD).

The seminar was attended by members of the parliamentary committees on legislation, human rights, international relations, social policy, as well as the Executive Director of the AFPPD Farrukh Usmonov and representatives of UNFPA. Gabriela Alvarez Minte, UNFPA Regional Adviser on Gender Equality, and Fabio Piana, Deputy Regional Representative of the OHCHR Regional Office for Central Asia, also joined the seminar online.

During the seminar, UNFPA international expert Morgan Lundell presented information on the prevalence and consequences of domestic violence, international experience in the field of legislation to protect women's rights, and the need to include relevant norms in the national legislation of Turkmenistan. A representative of the AFPPD shared information on the work of the forum, especially its activities to protect legislation and promote policies that benefit societies in member states.

On February 20, a consultation meeting was organized with representatives of the working group of the Interdepartmental Commission for Ensuring the Fulfillment of International Commitments of Turkmenistan in the Field of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law. Its participants, representing various ministries and departments, reviewed advanced foreign experience in ensuring the rights and protecting women from gender-based violence.

The events were organized as part of the technical support for the implementation of the Roadmap for the implementation of the recommendations of the National Sample Survey on the Health and Status of Women in the Family in Turkmenistan for 2022-2025 and the Concluding Recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women of March 2024. UNFPA expresses its readiness for further cooperation with the government and parliament of Turkmenistan in this important area, the press release of the representative office says.

UNFPA is an international agency engaged in population and development issues. AFPPD is a parliamentary network of 30 national committees of countries in the Asia-Pacific region, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The Forum serves as a platform for discussion and development of recommendations on legislation and policies in the field of population and development, including issues of gender equality and combating violence against women.

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Photo: UNFPA