Ashgabat, 19 June 2018: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan work together on development and introduction of the digital economy in Turkmenistan.

UNDP supported preparation of the National programme on digitalization of the economy by transferring the knowledge and expertise of Russia within the regional project “Knowledge Management and Capacity Building in the Russia-UNDP Partnership”.

“Digital economy has multiple advantages and services multiple groups of people. It improves the quality of life by allowing more efficient provision of social services, improves business and operational procedures, helps to diversify the economy, contributes to the development of the human capital and ensures international economic integration of the country,” explains Vladimir Korovkin, digital economy expert from Skolkovo, who was invited by UNDP.

As part of the process of preparing recommendations to the National programme on digitalization of the economy of Turkmenistan, UNDP held consultations and a working seminar with the stakeholders and main actors of the process, including the Academy of Sciences, Ministry of Communication, Central Bank, OSCE, Ministry of Education, Union of industrialists and Entrepreneurs, EU liaison office, Ministry of health and medical industry, Ministry of labor and social protection, Ministry of finance, Islamic Development Bank, State Statistics Committee, Institute of Strategic and Sustainable Development.

During the seminar, over 30 participants discussed the concept of the digital nation, which foresees interconnectedness of the governance, economy, society and technology. UNDP expert has explained in detail the technology, mechanisms and advantages that the digitalization brings. Participants of the seminar paid special attention to the topics of transparency, personal security and identification of individuals, interconnectedness of various systems of personal and public services and artificial intelligence.

It was underlined, that digitalization is vital for implementation of SDGs in Turkmenistan and brings many opportunities for economic and social growth. As a result of the meetings and a seminar, UNDP expert will prepare recommendations to the National programme and further work with the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan on improvement of the National programme. The National programme is expected to be launched in 2019 and will contribute towards implementation of SDGs in Turkmenistan.