On 22 February 2024, National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov chaired a meeting of the Presidium of the Halk Maslahaty. The meeting’s agenda was focused on the tasks of implementing the “Program of socio-economic development of Turkmenistan and investments in 2024”.
The “Program of socio-economic development of Turkmenistan and investments in 2024” was adopted by the President of Turkmenistan at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers dedicated to the outcomes of 2023.
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov signed a Resolution of the Presidium of the Halk Maslahaty on approval of the Work Plan and activities in the main areas of Halk Maslahaty’s activities, scheduled for implementation of the “Program of socio-economic development of Turkmenistan and investments in 2024”.
At the beginning of the meeting, Arkadag Berdimuhamedov made a keynote speech. Here are the key statements from his speech:
Program-2024 is based on the achievements of the government of previous years
Based on the achievements of previous years, the government has developed a “Program for the socio-economic development of Turkmenistan and investments in 2024”.
This program thoroughly analyzes and calculates the performance of each industry, region, institution, and enterprise. This comprehensive data collection allows for accurate short-, medium-, and long-term forecasts, forming the foundation for a well-defined approach to economic organization, management, and efficiency.
The 2024 program aligns with the longer-term “Revival of a new era of a powerful state: The National Program of Socio-economic Development of Turkmenistan in 2022-2052” and the Presidential programs for 2022-2028, which have demonstrated success with the same methodology.
Tasks and objectives of the Program
The Program for the socio-economic development of Turkmenistan and investments in 2024 sets goals across several key areas:
- Economic and Industrial Development:
Enhance the productivity and output of manufacturing enterprises.
Expand processing
Promote import substitution
Increase the production of environmentally friendly agricultural and other high-quality food products, create a favorable business environment.
- Trade and Services Expansion:
Stimulate economic activity
Boost incomes and consumer demand
Improve wages and purchasing power across the population.
Meet the growing needs of consumers in various sectors.
- Social Investments:
Upgrade infrastructure, including housing, healthcare, education, and transportation.
Prioritize vulnerable populations: Provide essential services and support to those in need.
Enhance public services: Improve water, gas, energy, and communication systems.
Develop water treatment plants
- Cross-cutting measures:
Embrace digital transformation
Introduce advanced technologies and practices across all sectors.
Support private sector growth
Create a conducive environment for businesses to thrive
Some socio-economic indicators
- Since 2009, GDP growth has averaged over 6%. Over the past 15 years, GDP has increased 3.7 times.
- The volume of manufactured industrial products in 2023 increased by more than 3 times compared to previous years.
- If in 2008 the volume of retail trade amounted to 16 million manats, then in 2023 this figure increased 8.5 times and reached 140 million manats.
- Since 2008, the population has grown by 2 million and in December 2022, according to the results of the census, more than 7 million people were registered.
Improvement of the country’s regulatory framework
The Program defines tasks that relate to regulatory support:
1) further improvement of the legislative framework for attracting investments, protecting and supporting investors in our country;
2) modernization of national legislation in accordance with the rules and principles of the World Trade Organization, in the light of upcoming joining of Turkmenistan to this Organization;
3) improvement of legislation on countering the legalization of proceeds from crime;
4) improvement of regulatory framework in the field of tax management and optimization of tax collection;
5) modernization of the legal framework for the protection of intellectual property, guaranteeing the protection of intellectual property rights at the state and international levels;
6) the introduction of a digital system for improving banking operations and payment orders in accordance with the requirements of technology and regulatory documentation;
7) improving the business environment and bringing the regulatory framework for financing in a market economy in line with world practice for the integration of the national economy into the global market;
8) intensification of scientific research, thorough and effective study of “artificial intelligence”, creation and promotion of new methods of business and commerce in the scientific and industrial field, development of appropriate regulatory legal acts;
9) drafting legal acts for the effective functioning of the innovation system.
Arkadag Berdimuhamedov pointed out the importance of analyzing legislation in such aspects as:
– improvement of legislation in the field of civil law relations, introduction of norms of private international law, modernization of legislation on property, contract law, prevention of offenses;
– implementation of public services through a digital system, provision of legal assistance, government support for business;
– ensuring economic activity, development of digital services in transport, logistics and other areas;
– optimization of legislation regulating the activities of enterprises, standards for ensuring the competitiveness of goods and construction works;
– stimulating producers of agricultural products, seed production and take appropriate measures.
Social security
Arkadag Berdimuhamedov pointed out the importance of developing Regulations on guardianship authorities, Regulations on the procedure for the implementation of guardianship, which are specified in the Law of Turkmenistan “On Trusteeship and Guardianship”, improving regulatory legal acts regulating relations on minors in the context of protection and support for younger youth.
Regional development
Much attention in state policy and ongoing programs is paid to the development of regions. Among the main tasks:
– to hold meetings at the proper level in the provinces, the cities of Ashgabat and Arkadag, as well as meetings with local authorities and organizations to consider proposals and appeals from citizens and departments;
– to hold field meetings with rural workers;
– to improve organizational and methodological assistance to provincial, district and city khalk maslahaty [people’s councils] and Gengeshi [village councils] in the legislative field:
– to explain to residents of villages and cities the essence and content of the laws adopted, to study the requests and wishes of people and to engage in solving issues related to improving the welfare of the population, and in receiving citizens on appeals;
– to organize field meetings of the committees of the Khalk Maslahaty and the Mejlis [perliament] with the participation of responsible representatives of the provinces, the cities of Ashgabat and Arkadag, public associations in order to fulfill the instructions and tasks defined by the President of Turkmenistan, to study proposals related to various areas of legislation.
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During the meeting, representatives of the provinces of Turkmenistan also expressed support of the population for the initiatives and programs carried out by the government.
The speakers included:
- Director of secondary school No. 28 of the Bakherden district, Chairman of the Halk maslahaty of the Akhal province M.Berdiev
- Deputy governor of the Balkan province for Education, Culture, Health and Sports B.Myamieva
- Head of the Department for Human Resources and local self-government of the governorate of Dashoguz city, Chairman of the Halk maslahaty of Dashoguz province A.Kakyshov
- Deputy governor of Lebap province for Education, Culture, Health and Sports O.Berdilieva
- Head of the Department for Coordination of industrial, Construction, transport and Communication spheres of the governorate of Mary province, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Mary province M.Atajanov
- Organizer of the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan of the city of Arkadag O.Annadurdiyeva
- The head of the Department of the S.A.Niyazov Turkmen Agricultural University, Professor, Honorary Elder of Turkmenistan I.Saparlyev. ///nCa, 23 February 2024