Ashgabat, 13 July 2021: UN and Government of Turkmenistan held the first meeting of the Joint Expert Group (JEG) to study and develop proposals for introduction of an Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF) for Sustainable Development Goals financing in Turkmenistan.

The JEG members representing the UN Country Team, the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations, the State Committee on Statistics, the Central Bank and the State Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs of Turkmenistan agreed on the main goals and objectives of the Group and discussed approaches to promote SDG financing through various activities under the Integrated National Financing Framework mechanism.

The UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub experts participated in the meeting and presented the examples of the INFF best practices from other countries of the region focusing on the process and main stages of INFF development laying out different approaches depending on the country context.

“The establishment of the Joint Expert Group on SDG Financing in Turkmenistan today is another proof of Turkmenistan's readiness to fulfil its commitments under Addis Ababa Action Agenda and support to global initiatives in the area of implementation and financing of SDGs at the national level. As expected, the work of this group will support the national efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Turkmenistan”- noted Ms. Natia Natsvlishvili, UN Resident Coordinator a.i./UNDP Resident Representative a.i. in Turkmenistan.

Implementation of the INFF will contribute to the development of such strategic priorities of Turkmenistan as the development of the financial planning and budgeting, improvement of the investment climate and business environment, development of capital markets and the introduction of innovative financial instruments in accordance with the Presidential Programme on Socio-Economic Development for 2019-2025, Programme for development of foreign economic activity for 2020-2025, and others.