The Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan, with the support of the 7th phase of the Central Asia Drug Action Program (CADAP 7) of the European Union, held a two-day Central Asian Regional Youth Forum. The event, held on September 10-11 at the Institute of Telecommunications and Informatics of Turkmenistan, was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s permanent Neutrality and the International Year of Peace and Confidence recognized by the UN. The forum, held under the theme “Health and Sustainable Development as a Path to Peace”, brought together young leaders, experts and policymakers from our country, as well as from Central Asian countries and European Union member states. Teachers and students from higher educational institutions of our country, as well as members of the Magtymguly Youth Organization, also participated. During the event, participants discussed and exchanged views on health, education, digital security and climate information.
The Youth Forum began its work under the theme “Youth, Health and Sustainable Development” under the leadership of Ernest Robello, Director of the 7th phase of the Central Asia Drug Action Program. The opening ceremony began with speeches by Deputy Minister of Education of Turkmenistan Azat Atayev, Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Magtymguly Akmuradov and Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation to Turkmenistan Masey Madalinsky. The event continued with parallel thematic sessions. Discussions at the sessions focused on the prevention of drug addiction among the youth of the EU and Central Asia, their mental health as a prerequisite for sustainable peace. The sessions also focused on the importance of eco-awareness, i.e. youth literacy about a sustainable healthy environment, and the choice of sustainable professions by young people in education. During the sessions held on the second day of the forum, experts from Central Asia and the European Union made presentations on the topics of platforms and artificial intelligence for the benefit of youth and preventive measures, youth initiatives for peace: from health to innovations, and presented a draft final document.
The project presented at the end of the event planned to consider and decide on a 5-year “roadmap” on the topics of expanding cooperation between the EU and Central Asian youth within a set timeframe. During the Youth Forum, we interviewed with the Ernest Robello, Director of the program of European Union CADAP 7 program:
“We are honored to support the initiative of the Ministry of Education and Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, to hold a Youth Forum of the Central Asian countries. Of course, our discussions in this partnership are aimed at the youth of Central Asia and the European Union. Young people are the leaders and society of tomorrow. Currently, there is widespread interest in Turkmenistan’s international and regional cooperation in the world. The work that the country is doing for its youth, their health, and their future is gratifying. The discussions held during the event fully testify to this. Such international and regional events are also a great support for young people to become healthy-minded and global-level professionals. For this reason, we are establishing cooperation with the Government of Turkmenistan in carrying out effective work in the future. I would like to express my gratitude to the Turkmen side for their warm welcome and hospitality”.
