A USAID-funded roundtable discusses legislation for non-governmental organizations

PAS No 258
September 29, 2009

IDHR Director Sh. Ahmedova, USAID Country Director A. Moretz and ICNL Vice President N. Bourjaily open the roundtable discussion on improvements of NGO legislation

Ashgabat, September 28-29, 2009 –The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), and the Turkmen National Institute for Democracy and Human Rights (IDHR) held a roundtable on the improvements of Turkmen legislation for non-governmental organizations.  The two-day roundtable reviewed the best international models and prepared recommendations on how to bring national legislation into compliance with Turkmenistan’s international commitments.

“This roundtable represents another step towards the fundamental reforms and changes initiated by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to improve the national legislation of Turkmenistan and bring it into compliance with international standards,” said Shirin Ahmedova, Director of the IDHR.  “By working together with non-governmental organizations, the government can leverage its efforts and achieve greater stability and progress in all areas,” said Elizabeth Warner, ICNL’s Program Director for Central Asia.

ICNL expert from Azerbaijan gives a presentation on the Azerbaijani NGO Law

At the roundtable, representatives from the leading government institutions and non-governmental organizations reviewed Turkmen legislation regulating activities of non-governmental organizations and suggested ways to improve them.  These recommendations will assist the government of Turkmenistan in updating legislation and procedures for registering non-governmental organizations. 

ICNL has been implementing USAID-funded programs that strengthen and support social services and NGOs in Central Asia for over ten years.  ICNL is a U.S.-based legal research organization providing technical assistance and analysis to stakeholders in over eighty countries worldwide.  This roundtable is one of the many activities made possible by the American people through USAID in Turkmenistan.  Since 1993, the American people through USAID have provided more than $80 million in programs that support Turkmenistan’s economic growth, social sector, and community initiatives.