OREANDA-NEWS. June 02, 2011. The Third Central Asian Child Protection Forum organized by the Mejlis of Turkmenistan jointly with the public organisations of the Galkynysh National Movement, the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan and the Office of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Turkmenistan closed in Ashgabat.

It is symbolic that on the eve of the International Children’s Day widely celebrated all over the world this international forum was held in Turkmenistan, where the priorities of the state policy pursued by President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov include guaranteeing a happy life to children and promoting healthy, integrated and spiritual education of the younger generation. The forum was new evidence for intensification cooperation between the Turkmen state and the international organizations, particularly the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in this sphere.

The practices of countries of the region on protection of children’s rights as well as the priority aspects of the joint work in this sphere were discussed during the working group meetings. The representatives of the Central Asian states presented the reports on the measures taken to update national legislations with the view of addressing the issues related to legal and social protection of children, the progress in implementation of international norms in national was. They underlined the urgent need to adopt widely the practices, traditions and family values of Central Asia nations in bringing up children.

The guests had an opportunity to attend the ceremony of opening a new children’s recreation centre in picturesque Gekdere settlement and visit educational and health institutions in Ashgabat. The information helped forum participants to learn more about the active steps taken by the independent Turkmen state in the sphere of maternity and child care and promote large-scale reforms in the legal, educational and health spheres with the aim to ensure integrated development of children.

The work of the forum, which testified to effectiveness of the regional forum as a mechanism for fruitful cooperation on the issues discussed, was summed up during the ceremony of closing the Third Central Asian Child Protection Forum.