A meeting of the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO was held

On the instructions of the President of Turkmenistan, a regular meeting of the National Commission of Turkmenistan for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The meeting was attended by several Deputy Chairmen of the Cabinet of Ministers, as well as heads and representatives of relevant ministries, sectoral agencies, public organisations and mass media outlets.

The participants considered a wide range of issues related to cooperation with this specialised UN agency and outlined plans for the further development of effective collaboration.

Turkmenistan attaches great importance to consistently expanding cooperation with UNESCO, an organisation that plays a significant role in international efforts to protect cultural monuments and natural landscapes and promotes an open dialogue based on respect for universal human values and the dignity of every nation.

In accordance with the instructions of the President of Turkmenistan, the meeting heard information on the results of the activities carried out by the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO from January to June 2026 and on the tasks set out in the plan for the current year.

As noted, during the reporting period, a total of 11 talks were held via the digital system with heads and specialists of UNESCO’s central and regional offices on important issues of regional and international cooperation. Representatives of our country took part in more than 10 consultations and training seminars organised by UNESCO.

An important event was the participation of Turkmenistan’s Minister of Education on 25 March this year in activities held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris as part of the presentation of the Global Education Monitoring Report, as well as meetings with the organisation’s leadership. This opened up new opportunities for the future development of bilateral cooperation in education.

As is known, ensuring environmental well-being and protecting the environment are among UNESCO’s main areas of activity. In this regard, various environmental forums and other events were organised in our country to fulfil the objectives set out in the organisation’s “Man and the Biosphere” Programme and in the national strategies on environmental security and climate change.

As a result of the planned work carried out under the UNITWIN Programme, an opening ceremony was held for the UNESCO Chair in “Digital Science” at the International Science and Technology Park of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan.

In addition, during the relevant period, six secondary schools nominated by our country joined the UNESCO Associated Schools Network.

For many years, Turkmenistan has been carrying out extensive work to preserve historical, cultural and natural monuments that form an integral part of world civilisation and to widely promote the priceless heritage of our people.

Since the beginning of this year, important documents have been prepared and submitted, based on proposals from the Turkmen side, for the inclusion of three elements of our national heritage in UNESCO’s regional and international lists.

These include traditions of folk medicine associated with Turkmenistan’s endemic medicinal plants, as well as the art of making the tahya and the traditions of wearing it, which have been nominated for inclusion on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Also proposed for inclusion in the Asia-Pacific Regional Register of the “Memory of the World” Programme are written treasures preserved in the country’s manuscript collections concerning the life and philosophy of Ibrahim Edhem, a renowned eighth-century scholar, thinker and Sufi.

Furthermore, since the beginning of the year, more than 40 cultural and public events have been organised in our country to study and preserve national heritage and promote international cooperation.