AKIPRESS.COM - The UNICEF Executive Board has endorsed Turkmenistan’s Country Programme Document for 2021-2025 in its second regular session this year taking place virtually from 8 to 11 September 2020, UNICEF said.

UNICEF’s sixth programme of cooperation with Turkmenistan will aim at supporting the Government in meeting its commitments to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of children, as stipulated by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and further reaffirmed in the National Plan of Action on the Realization of the Rights of the Child. With an indicative five-year budget of about 7.5 million USD, the new country programme aims to achieve outcomes in four areas, namely governance for children; child health, nutrition and early development; social and child protection; and quality inclusive education.

The September regular session of the Executive Board also deliberated on the importance of providing digital and distance education opportunities for every child in times of COVID-19. It looked at aspects of funding, evaluation and partnerships of UNICEF’s programmes worldwide.

In her address to the Board, UNICEF’s Executive Director Henrietta Fore reiterated UNICEF’s unflagging commitment to delivering results for children amid COVID-19, saying, “The challenge of the pandemic is matched with a unique opportunity to take what we have learned, and adapt UNICEF for the future, and to emerge stronger from the time of COVID for millions and millions of children and young people.”

The Executive Board is the governing body of UNICEF, providing intergovernmental support and oversight to the organization, in accordance with the overall policy guidance of the United Nations General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council. The Executive Board reviews UNICEF activities and approves its policies, country programmes and budgets. It comprises 36 members, including Turkmenistan, for its 2020 sessions, representing the five regional groups of Member States at the United Nations.