With the support of UNDP, the Turkmenistan delegation, comprising the Ombudsperson, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Member of the Parliament Committee on Human Rights, senior specialists from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prosecutor`s Office, and Ombudsperson`s Office visited Tbilisi to explore the Georgian experience of establishing the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) on 30 November – 2 December 2023.
During the visit, the delegation engaged in working meetings with key Georgian institutions on NPM, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Prosecutor`s Office, Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs, and the Special Investigative Service. Throughout the visit, the delegation also met with the Deputy Public Defenders, as well as members, and representatives of Georgia`s NPM.
Turkmenistan ratified the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in June 1999. During the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review in 2023 (the 2023 UPR), Turkmenistan received recommendations on ratifying the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) and establishing an NPM that had also been recommended in the 2018 UPR.
OPCAT requires, that the States Parties shall guarantee the functional independence of the national preventive mechanisms as well as the independence of their personnel. The National Human Rights Action Plan in Turkmenistan for 2021-2025 envisages the reform of the penitentiary system, including establishment of NPM.
The UNDP Office in Turkmenistan and Georgia coordinated the visit of the Turkmenistan delegation to Georgia.
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The visit was organized in the framework of the project: “Strengthening the institutional capacity of the Ombudsperson’s Office of Turkmenistan” implemented jointly by the UNDP in Turkmenistan and the Office of Ombudsperson in Turkmenistan.
The Project aims to improve the system of protection, promotion, and implementation of human rights in Turkmenistan by reforming national legislation in accordance with the human rights international obligations of Turkmenistan and increasing the institutional capacity of the Ombudsperson’s Office. ///UNDP Turkmenistan. 6 December 2023