A BRIEFING WAS HELD ON THE ADOPTION OF THE "NATIONAL PROGRAM FOR THE TURNING OF TURKMENISTAN INTO A TOBACCO-FREE COUNTRY FOR 2022-2025"

On February 26, 2022, at the “Garagum” Hotel in the capital, by order of the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, a briefing was held on the adoption of the “National Program for Turning of Turkmenistan into a Tobacco-Free Country for 2022-2025” and the Action Plan for its implementation.

The briefing was attended by representatives of the People's Council and the Mejlis of Turkmenistan, heads and representatives of relevant ministries and departments of Turkmenistan, heads and representatives of the diplomatic corps and UN agencies working in Ashgabat, representatives of public organizations, members of the Interdepartmental Coordinating Committee on Tobacco Control and medical workers.

During the briefing, the UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan D. Shlapachenko, the representative of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Turkmenistan M. Fayyazi, the coordinator of the UN Population Fund in Turkmenistan A. Seyitliyeva and others made their presentations.

In his opening speech, the Minister of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan N. Amannepesov noted that the new program is aimed at creating national standards for determining the status of a country free from tobacco, strengthening tobacco control by exercising special control over the implementation of policies and enforcement of laws in this area, raising awareness of the population, especially young people, about the negative consequences of smoking.

He stressed that after approving the developed Program aimed at turning Turkmenistan into a tobacco-free country by 2025, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stressed that the implementation of the planned measures would directly serve to improve health, and therefore increase the well-being of the people.

Representatives of international organizations who spoke at the briefing emphasized that Turkmenistan has been working very effectively and for a long time on tobacco control and can serve as an excellent example and model for the successful implementation of tobacco control, as representatives of the World Health Organization have repeatedly noted. Today, Turkmenistan occupies a leading position in the WHO European Region and continues large-scale work in this important area. The speakers congratulated Turkmenistan on the adoption of the National Program and Action Plan for its implementation.