Government of Turkmenistan and UNHCR conducted a series of capacity building events in Ashgabat, as part of their 2024 joint workplan.
Training session for judges on nationality and statelessness cases organized by UNHCR in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
In the 10th and final year of the global #IBelong Campaign to End Statelessness, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the Government of Turkmenistan are accelerating efforts to achieve the goals of the campaign and Turkmenistan’s National Action Plan to End Statelessness.
A series of capacity building events were held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, 30 April to 2 May, including seminars and trainings on the international legal framework and effective implementation of best practices and standards in the field of statelessness and asylum. Activities were conducted as part of the 2024 joint workplan between the Government of Turkmenistan and UNHCR.
A stateless person is not considered as a national by any country. According to the UNHCR partner data, as of early-2024, there are 3,583 reported stateless people and people of undetermined nationality in Turkmenistan. Most are ex-citizens of the former Soviet Union, or their descendants, who have not yet acquired or confirmed citizenship of Turkmenistan. With no proof of having a nationality or any legal status, people with undetermined nationality have difficulty accessing basic rights such as education, healthcare, employment, and freedom of movement.
On 30 April, UNHCR conducted a seminar with 20 participants of the State Migration Service of Turkmenistan on asylum and statelessness to support improved management of cases involving stateless people and refugees. A seminar with the staff of the Ombudsperson’s Office on 1 May, aimed to strengthen their capacity to identify vulnerable people in detention and at borders. Participants at both events also included civil society organizations.
On 2 May, UNHCR and the Government of Turkmenistan held a training session for judges on nationality and statelessness cases, supporting them to effectively identify and address the needs of vulnerable populations through legal and social support.
“Today’s training session marks an important moment in our continuous journey to strengthen the country’s judicial frameworks and align them with international standards,” said Dmitry Shlapachenko, UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan. “Turkmenistan’s commitment as a member State of the United Nations obliges us to protect the most vulnerable and ensure that our systems are both just and humane.”
Turkmenistan is the only country in Central Asia that is party to the two UN Statelessness Conventions. Supported by UNHCR, Turkmenistan has taken firm steps towards eradicating statelessness, introducing new laws to ensure all children can be registered at birth, adopting Statelessness Determination Procedures, and documenting the citizenship of more than 13,000 people since 2014.
UNHCR stands ready to continue supporting the Government of Turkmenistan to achieve the goals of its National Action Plan to End Statelessness, and in its protection of forcibly displaced and stateless people.
Seminar on asylum and statelessness organized for the State Migration Service of Turkmenistan on April 30 in Ashgabat
Seminar with the staff of the Ombudsperson’s Office aimed to strengthen the capacity to identify vulnerable people in detention and at borders.
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