On 16 November 2024, the successive meeting of Turkmenistan’s National Commission for UNESCO was held on under the chairmanship of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov. The meeting was attended by relevant Deputy Chairmen of the Cabinet of Ministers, leadership and representatives of relevant ministries and profile agencies, as well as public organizations and mass media.
A wide range of cooperation issues within the framework of this specialized UN agency were discussed at the meeting, including the plans for cooperation in the near future.
It was noted that by acceding to the fundamental international instruments of UNESCO, among which are the Conventions for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage and for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Turkmenistan demonstrates its commitment to its obligations.
Up to today, the historical and natural monuments, as well as cultural values of Turkmenistan have been included into the UNESCO World Heritage List and the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The consistent progress of cooperation with UNESCO is also evident from the contacts in the field of education. UNESCO Chairs are functioning in two institutions of higher education, UNESCO Clubs have been opened in five such institutions, and six secondary schools have been included into the UNESCO Associated Schools Network.
Then, information was heard on the results of the work of the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO for the past period in accordance with the instructions of the President of Turkmenistan, as well as on the tasks outlined in the Plan for 2024.
The next item on the agenda of the meeting was addressed by the Minister of Justice (Adalat) of Turkmenistan M. Taganov. Speaking about the importance of developing the legal framework of UNESCO Clubs, the Minister noted the need to strengthen the normative framework concerning the activities of UNESCO Clubs and systematize relations between the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO and UNESCO Clubs in Turkmenistan. In this regard, the participants reviewed and approved the draft regulations on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Clubs in Turkmenistan.
It was emphasized that the ecological sphere is also one of the topical areas of multifaceted collaboration between Turkmenistan and UNESCO. During the meeting, the issues of adding the country’s natural heritage to the UNESCO World Heritage List was touched upon. In this regard, the Minister of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan Ch. Babaniyazov reported on the activities of the Working Group to study the possibilities of including the ancient mud volcanoes “Akpatlavuk” and “Geokpatlavuk”, located in the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, as well as the Yangi-Kala Canyon as monuments of natural geological significance of world level in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
It is symbolic that the meeting was held on the day of UNESCO formation. Exactly 79 years ago, on 16 November 1945, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was established.
