亞開行-公民社會簡報：土庫曼斯坦（英）

Ashgabat,Turkmenistan—theWhiteCity.Rebuiltafteranearthquakein1948,thecapitalcityofAshgabatisfamousforitsmanywhitemarblebuildings.LargerAshgabatishometoabout50%ofthecountry’spopulation.

CountryContext

TurkmenistanisalargecountryinCentralAsia,

borderedbyAfghanistaninthesoutheast,Kazakhstaninthenorthwest,Uzbekistaninthenorthandnortheast,

Iraninthesouthwest,andtheCaspianSeainthewest.Turkmenistan’spopulationwasestimatedat

6.5millionbytheUnitedNationsPopulationFundin

2023.aTheofficiallanguageisTurkmen,andRussian

iswidelyspoken.Thepopulationispredominantly

Muslim.Nearlyfour-fifthsoftheterrainisthesparselypopulatedKarakumDesert.AlargeoasisinthefoothillsoftheKopetDagmountainrangeinthesouthand

smalleroasesinthenortheastandeasthostmostofthepopulation.Turkmenistanishometosomeoftheworld’slargestnaturalgasreserves.

Fromancienttimesuntilthe20thcentury,the

Turkmenslivedasnomadicpastoraltribessharing

acommonculture.Theareainwhichtheylived

experiencednumerousinvasionsbyregionalpowers,includingarmiesledbyAlexandertheGreatand

GenghisKhan.TheRussianEmpireinvadedand

annexedtheareainthelate19thcentury.Afterthe

RussianRevolutionin1917,RussianTurkestanbecame

continuedonnextpage

CIVILSOCIETYBRIEF

TURKMENISTAN

Introduction

Thefirstcivilsocietyorganizations(CSOs)in

Turkmenistanemergedin1991,shortlyafterthecountry

declaredindependencefromtheUnionofSoviet

SocialistRepublicsandpasseditsfirstlawrecognizing

publicassociations.1DuringtheSovietperiod,public

organizationshadbeenformedtosupportthegoalsof

theCommunistPartywithfundingfromthestate.With

independence,dozensofgroupsandinitiativesemerged

spontaneously,manyofwhichreflectedthedistinctive

Turkmentraditionsofhospitality,mercy,andcompassion

forone’sneighbor.Mostofthesegroupswereableto

operateandreceivedonorsupportwithoutregistration,

andbothregisteredandunregisteredpublicassociations

enjoyedproductivepartnershipswiththegovernment

andinternationaldevelopmentagencies.In2014,a

revisedPublicAssociationsLawmadeCSOregistration

mandatory,whichcausedunregisteredorganizationsto

1TheAsianDevelopmentBank(ADB)definesCSOsasorganizations

notbasedingovernmentandnotcreatedtoearnprofit.CSOsvaryin

size,interest,andfunctionandincludenongovernmentorganizations

(NGOs),youthgroups,community-basedorganizations,independent

academicandresearchinstitutes,professionalassociations,foundations,

faith-basedorganizations,people’sorganizations,andlaborunions.

CSOsmayrepresenttheinterestsoftheirmembersorothers.

boxcontinued

StallsattheTekeBazaarinAshgabat,Turkmenistan.Thegovernmentprovidedsocialsupportandassistancetobusinesses,includingsoftloansforagriculturalproducers,todriveeconomicgrowthduringthecoronaviruspandemic(photobyADB).

partoftheUnionofSovietSocialistRepublics(USSR),firstastheTurkestanAutonomousSovietSocialistRepublicand,in1924,astheTurkmenSovietSocialistRepublic.DuringtheSovietera,pastoraltribeswereresettled,andtraditionallifestylesgavewaytocommunistideology.

WiththedisintegrationoftheUSSRin1991,Turkmenistanformallydeclaredindependenceon27Octoberofthatyear.ThenewpresidentwasSaparmuradNiyazov,whohadservedasthefirstsecretaryofSoviet

Turkmenistansince1985.NiyazovbecameknownasTurkmenbashi(“LeaderofAllTurkmen”),andthe

Parliamentappointedhimpresidentforlifein1999.Niyazovservedasheadofstate,primeminister,and

chairpersonoftheHalkMaslahaty—orPeople’sCouncil,thesupremerepresentativebody—untilhisdeath

inDecember2006.GurbangulyBerdimuhamedovwaselectedpresidenton11February2007andduringhis

administrationintroducedseveralmodernizingreforms.HissonSerdarBerdimuhamedovwaselectedpresidentin2022.TheUnitedNations(UN)recognizedTurkmenistan’spermanentneutralityin1995.

Turkmenistanisanuppermiddle-incomecountrywhoseeconomyisdrivenbyhydrocarbonexportsandpublicinvestment.ThemaintradingpartnersarethePeople’sRepublicofChinaandRussianFederation.bEconomicgrowthaveraged6.0%annuallybetween2015and2019.cAsthecoronavirusdiseasepandemicin2020–

2021reduceddemandandpricesforenergyproducts,thegovernmentcushionedthepandemic’simpactbyofferingsocialsupportandassistancetobusinesses,includingsoftloansforagriculturalproducers.TheAsianDevelopmentBankprojectsthegrowthofthegrossdomesticproducttoreturnto6.2%in2023and6.0%

in2024.d

Turkmenistanranked91of191countriesintheUN’sHumanDevelopmentReport2021/2022,whichmeasuresaverageachievementsinlifeexpectancy,education,andstandardofliving.eNodataisavailableaboutthe

proportionofthepopulationlivingbelowthenationalpovertyline.

GovernmentdevelopmentpoliciesarelaidoutintheNationalProgramfortheSocio-EconomicDevelopmentofTurkmenistan2022–2052andthePresident’sProgramfortheSocio-EconomicDevelopmentofTurkmenistan2022–2028.Thegovernment’smaingoalsaretoimplementlarge-scaleprojectstomitigatetheeffectsof

continuedonnextpage

2

CivilSocietyBrief:Turkmenistan

boxcontinued

climatechange,createfavorableconditionsforinvestment,andpromoterenewableenergysources.President

SerdarBerdimuhamedovnotedinaspeechtotheStateCouncilinSeptember2022thatthe2022–2028nationalbudgetswouldcontinuetoincludesignificantfundingforthesocialsphere.Turkmenistanhas

committedtoimplementingtheUN’s2030AgendaforSustainableDevelopment.

Turkmenistanhasapresidentialsystemofgovernment.Thepresident—whomayserveanunlimitednumberof7-yearterms—appointsmembersofthejudiciary,includingtheSupremeCourt.ThelegislativebranchconsistsoftheunicameralAssembly—orMejlis—whose125electedmembersserve5-yearterms.ThesupremeorganofgovernmentalauthorityisthePeople’sCouncil,whosemembersincludethepresident,speakeroftheAssembly,chairoftheSupremeCourt,membersoftheCouncilofMinisters,andleadersofotherstateandprovincial

governmententities.Administratively,TurkmenistanisdividedintofiveprovincesandtheindependentcapitalcityofAshgabat.

Sources:

aUnitedNationsPopulationFund.

WorldPopulationDashboard:Turkmenistan

(accessed29August2023).

bTheinformationisasof2020.

TurkmenistanTradeInformationPortal.MarketIntelligenceTools

(accessed8August2023).

cADB.2019.GDPGrowth,AsianDevelopmentOutlook2019Update.Manila;2020.GDPGrowth.AsianDevelopmentOutlookUpdate2020—September2020(CSV)Update2020.Manilla.

/dataset/gdp-growth-asia-and-pacific-asian-development-

outlook

(accessed19November2023).

dADB.2023.EconomicForecastsforTurkmenistan.Projectionasof19November2023.

eUnitedNationsDevelopmentProgramme.HumanDevelopmentReports.HumanDevelopmentInsights.

/data-center/

country-insights#/ranks

(accessed16October2023).

disappear.Sincethen,Turkmenistan’ssmallcivilsocietyhasconsistedmainlyofnationalpublicassociations

supportedbythegovernmentandlocalpublic

associationsandeconomicsocietiesthatrelyongrantsfrombilateralandmultilateraldonors.CSOactivities

includeawarenessraisingandserviceprovisioninareassuchassocialprotection,legalaid,theenvironment,

andtheempowermentofyouth,women,andgirls.ThegovernmentrecognizesthatCSOs’experiencewith

localandruralcommunitiesmakesthemavaluable

resourceandincreasinglyseekstoworkwiththemondiverseactivities.SeeboxforadescriptionofCSOs’operatingenvironment.

OverviewofCivilSociety

Turkmencivilsocietyreflectsthecountry’sdistinctivecustomsofhospitality,mercy,andcompassionforone’sneighbor.Turkmentraditionallyresolvedcommunity

issuesinformallyratherthanthroughestablishedstatestructures.DuringtheSovietperiod,theCommunist

Partyfoundedvariouspublicorganizationstoreach

largenumbersofpeopleandfurtherpartygoals.Theseorganizationsincludedyouthunionssuchasthe

KomsomolandPioneers;tradeunionsandsportsclubs;

societiesforscientificresearch;andprofessionalunions

ofwriters,journalists,composers,andothers.Although

theseorganizationswerehighlydependentonthestate,

theywereabletounitecitizenstoresolvelocalproblems

inanorganizedmanner.

WhenTurkmenistandeclaredindependencein1991,

thegovernmentrecognizedthepotentialofcivilsociety

tocontributetothecountry’sdevelopment.Thefirst

lawonpublicassociations—whichwaspassedwithin

weeksofindependence—openedthedoortothesector’sgrowth.2Thegovernmentsupportedtheestablishment

andoperationofnationalpublicassociations,including

theMakhtumkuliYouthOrganization,Women’sUnion,

andUnionofIndustrialistsandEntrepreneurs.Atthe

sametime,dozensofindependentinitiativesemerged

tofocuslargelyonassistancetovulnerablegroups,

legalaid,professionalinterests,education,andthe

environment.Thesegroupswereallowedtooperate

andreceivedonorsupportwithoutregistration.For

example,undertheCentralAsianRepublics’Non-

GovernmentalOrganizationSupportActivity—aprogramfundedbytheUnitedStatesAgencyforInternational

Development(USAID)—morethan1,200groupsin

CentralAsia,includingTurkmenistan,receivedtraining

andoccasionalgrants.

2InternationalCenterforNot-for-ProfitLaw.

CivicMonitor:Turkmenistan.

Lastupdated12July2018.ThissiteoffersanassessmentofthelegalframeworkforcivilsocietyinTurkmenistanfromwhichmuchofthisdiscussionisdrawn.

3

CivilSocietyBrief:Turkmenistan

Supportingsafe,sustainableagriculture.AlocalCSO

offeredsmallprivatefarmersinMaryProvincetrainingin

GoodAgriculturePractices,asetofinternationalstandards

forfarmmanagementthatemphasizefoodsafetyandquality,environmentalsustainability,andsocialwelfare(photoby

Mashgala).

Anamendedlawonpublicassociationspassedin2014

introducedstricterrequirementsforCSOs.Registration

becamemandatory,andorganizationsthatfailedto

registercouldbefined.Existingorganizationswereabletoreregisterinasimpleprocess,butsomegroupsregisteringforthefirsttimefacedchallenges.Unregisteredgroups

werenolongerabletoreceiveforeignfundingandasaresultstoppedoperating.

Inrecentyears,mostregisteredorganizationsaresportsfederations.OtherCSOsassistvulnerablegroupssuch

aswomen,youth,andpeoplewithdisabilities;offerlegal,consulting,ortrainingservices;orengageinandraise

awarenessabouthealthissuessuchasthecoronavirusdisease(COVID-19).MostactiveCSOsarelocatedinAshgabatandthemajorprovincialcities.

TheMinistryofJusticeandtheNationalStatistics

CommitteedonotpubliclyprovidedataonthenumberofCSOsinTurkmenistan.However,informalestimatesarethatapproximately135publicassociationsoperateinthecountryasof2023.NointernationalCSOisknowntoberegisteredinTurkmenistan.

LegalandRegulatory

FrameworkforCivilSociety

The2008ConstitutionofTurkmenistan(asrevised)affirmstherightofcitizenstoorganizethemselvesintopublicassociations.

The1998CivilCodeestablishesthepublicassociationastheprimarylegalformforCSOs.The2014LawonPublicAssociationsdefinespublicassociationsasvoluntary,

self-managednonprofitorganizationscreatedtopursuecommoninterestsandachievecommongoals.

OtherlegislationrelevanttoTurkmencivilsocietyincludesthe2016LawonVolunteering,whichestablishesalegal

frameworkforvolunteerism;the2017LawonCharitableActivities,whichallowsforcharitableactivities—includingbyinternationalorganizations—withouttheneedto

establishacharitablefoundation;the2017Lawonthe

Ombudsman,whichmandatestheombudsmantoprovideguaranteesofthestate’sprotectionofhumanandcivil

rightsandfreedoms;andthe2022LawonStateYouth

Policy,whichsupportsyouthdevelopment.Separate

lawscoverreligiousorganizations,politicalparties,tradeunions,andseveralgovernment-supportedorganizations,suchastheNationalRedCrescentSociety,Chamberof

CommerceandIndustry,andUnionofIndustrialistsandEntrepreneurs.

MostCSOsregisteraspublicassociationsunderthe2014LawonPublicAssociations.Publicassociationsmaytakeoneoffourforms:(i)apublicorganizationormembershipassociationformedtorealizeacommonpurpose;

(ii)apublicmovementornonmembershipassociation

formedtopursueapubliclyusefulpurpose;(iii)apublic

foundationornonmembershipassociationwithvoluntarily

donatedassetsusedtoachieveapubliclyuseful

purpose;or(iv)apublicactivitybodyornonmembershipassociationseekingtoaddresssocialchallengesarising

inaplaceofresidence,work,orstudy.Inpractice,most

CSOsregisteraspublicorganizationsastheprocessislesscomplicatedthanforothertypesofpublicassociations.

Publicassociationsareeithernationalorlocal,

dependingonthescopeoftheiractivities.National

publicassociationspursueactivitiesthatextendtotheentirecountry.Localpublicassociationsarerestricted

tooperatinginoneprovince.3Thegovernmentgenerally

establishesandsupportsnationalpublicassociations,

3Territorialpublicassociationsthatworkinseveralprovincesalsoexist.Theyarefewinnumberand,exceptforthegeographicscopeoftheiractivities,resemblelocalorganizations.

4

CivilSocietyBrief:Turkmenistan

whilelocalpublicassociationscometogetherasthe

independentinitiativesofpeopleresidinginaparticularplace.Publicassociationsmayvoluntarilyformunionsorumbrellaorganizations.

Theregistrationprocesshasgrownmorecomplexsincethepassageofthe2014lawandcantakemorethan

1yeartocomplete.AgroupseekingtoregisterasapublicassociationmustapplytotheMinistryofJustice(MOJ)andprovideitscharter,minutesofthefirstmeeting,

alistoffounders’nameswithpersonalinformation,andotherdocumentation.Anationalpublicassociationmusthaveatleast50foundingmembers,whilealocalpublicassociationmusthaveatleastfivefoundingmembers.

TheMOJreviewstheapplicationandmayrequesttime-consumingclarifications,additions,orchangesinthe

organization’sgoalsandobjectivesasstatedinthedraftcharter.Theministrythenpassestheapplicationtoaninternalcommissionandaninterministerialcommissionforreviewandapproval.Denialofregistrationwithoutexplanationcanoccur.Althoughitispossibletoappealsuchdenials,theprocessisrarelysuccessful.

The2014LawonPublicAssociationsalsogoverns

theactivitiesofinternationalCSOs.Aninternational

organizationwishingtoopenanofficeinTurkmenistanregistersbysubmittinganapplicationalongwiththe

namesoftopofficials,bankaccountnumbers,and

otherinformationtotheMOJ.NointernationalCSOsareregisteredinTurkmenistanasof2023,althoughafeworganizationsimplementprogramsthroughlocallybasedpartners.

Giventhelengthyregistrationprocessforpublic

associations,someorganizationschoosetoregisterina

fasterandeasierprocessaseconomicsocietiesunderthe2000LawonEnterprises.Organizationsthathavebeenrefusedregistrationaspublicassociationscanalsoseektoregisteraseconomicsocieties.Whilemosteconomicsocietiespursuebusinessactivities,theymayalsoengageinnonbusinessactivities,suchassocialserviceprovisionorworkwithyouth,women,andothervulnerablegroups.Economicsocietiesmayoperateeithernationallyor

locally.Toregisterasaneconomicsociety,twoormoreindividualsorlegalentitiesapplytotheMinistryof

FinanceandEconomyoralocalministryofficetoconductjointactivities.

TheMOJperformsannualinspectionsoftheactivitiesandfinancesofpublicassociations,whichmustbe

properlydocumented.Duringtheseinspections,the

Supportingwomen’sdevelopment.CSOsinTurkmenistanhelpprovidewomenandgirlswithneededservicesandsupporttheirempowermentthroughtrainingandconsultation(photobyADB).

MOJusuallyrequestsanexternalaudit,whichisoften

alsorequiredbyinternationaldonorsbeforetheyissue

grants.TheTaxServicesOfficeintheMinistryofFinance

andEconomyhastheauthoritytoinspecttheaccounts

ofeconomicsocieties.Auditsofeconomicsocietiesare

seldomrequested,asa2022amendmenttotheLawon

AuditingActivitiesmakesauditsoptionalforcompanies

whoseannualprofitsarelessthanTMT1million

(approximately$285,000).4

Turkmenistan’s2004TaxCodeexemptsallpublic

associationsfromtaxesonincomefromsourcessuch

asmembershipandcharitablecontributions,donations,

inheritedproperty,andforeignstatesorinternational

organizationsprovideditisusedfortheirstatutory

purposes.TheTaxCodeprovidesadditionaltaxbenefits

toorganizationsthatservepeoplewithdisabilities,

provideeducationalservices,orhaveareligiousfocus.

CSOsregisteredaseconomicsocietiesdonotpay

taxonrevenuesappliedtotheirstatutoryactivities

andoperationalexpensesoronassetsreceivedinthe

frameworkofhumanitarian,financial,andtechnical

assistanceprojectsfundedbyforeigngovernmentsand

internationalorganizations.Therearenotaxincentivesforbusinessesorindividualstodonatetopublicassociationsoreconomicsocieties.

4Inthisbrief,“TMT”referstoTurkmenmanatsand“$”referstoUnitedStatesdollars.

CivilSocietyBrief:Turkmenistan5

Forregisteredorganizationsworkingontheirstated

objectives,therearenoobstaclestoobtainingfunding.

Publicassociationsreceivingfundingfromforeignsourcesmustregisterthenatureandamountoffundingwith

theMOJ.Economicsocietiesmustregisterincomefrom

foreignsourceswiththeMinistryofFinanceandEconomy.Organizationsmustshowgrantregistrationdocumentstolocalauthoritiestoobtaintheirpermissiontoimplementprojectsoroperateinremoterurallocationsorareaswithrestrictedaccess.

Government–Civil

SocietyRelations

Althoughnolegislativeprovisionmandatesthe

involvementofcivilsocietyingovernmentdecision-making,thegovernmentrecognizesthatCSOscan

facilitatecommunityaccesstobasicservices,support

andempowervulnerablegroups,andimplementthe

government’snationaldevelopmentprograms.Forthis

reason,theGovernmentofTurkmenistanoftenseeksto

pursuejointactivitieswithCSOsinareassuchassocial

serviceprovisionandenvironmentalprotection.Nationalpublicassociationsworkwiththenationalgovernment

toimplementprogramswithacountrywidereachorto

promotetheinterestsoftheirmembers.Forexample,

thegovernmentoffersstatecontractstomembersof

theUnionofIndustrialistsandEntrepreneursforthe

constructionofsocialfacilitiesaroundthecountry.The

Women’sUnion,MakhtumkuliYouthUnion,andNationalRedCrescentSocietycooperatewiththeMinistryof

HealthandMedicalIndustryonissuessuchasCOVID-19preventionandlaborsafetyandhealth.Localpublic

associationsalsoworkwiththenationalgovernmentonoccasion.ThelocalpublicassociationsYenme

andMashgalaandtheeconomicsocietyDap-Dessur

collaboratedwiththeStateMigrationService,theMinistryofInternalAffairs,andtheMinistryofEducationonasafemigrationprojectfundedbyUSAID.

CSOscanalsocooperatecloselywithlocalgovernmentofficials.AuthoritiesinDashoguzProvincehelpedthepublicassociationEko-Durmushorganizemeetings

withfarmersaspartofitsprojectonyouthbusiness

developmentfundedbytheUnitedStates(US).MunicipalauthoritiesinthecityofMaryinMaryProvincehelpedthepublicassociationMashgalaimplementdonor-funded

projectsbyfacilitatingcontactwithruralconstituencies

andarrangingatrainingclassroomatalocalcollegefreeofcharge.MashgalaalsoworkswiththerepresentativeofficeoftheMinistryofLaborandSocialProtectioninMarytoprovideunemploymentassistanceandotherservices.

Opportunitiesforyoungpeopletoengageincultureandsports.Promotingchildren’shealthandwell-beingisafocus

ofboththegovernmentandCSOs.“Healthpaths”havebeencreatedtoencouragephysicalactivitiesbycitizens,especiallyyouth(photobyADB).

CSOshavedirectaccesstogovernmentpolicymakers,

althoughtheirinteractionsaregenerallylimitedtomatters

ofsocialassistanceandenvironmentalprotection.For

example,theMinistryofLaborandSocialProtection

sometimesmeetswithCSOstodiscusswaystoimplementsocialprogramseffectively.

GovernmentrepresentativessometimestakepartineventshostedbyCSOs,suchasconferences,trainingworkshops,charitableevents,andactivitiesaddressingsocialand

environmentalconcerns.InSeptember2022,severalpublicassociationsworkedwiththeMinistryofForeignAffairs,

theMinistryofSportsandYouthPolicy(nowtheState

CommitteeforPhysicalCultureandSport),andtheUnitedNationsDevelopmentProgrammetoorganizeasports

festivalcelebratingthe30thanniversaryofTurkmenistan’smembershipintheUnitedNations.Governmentofficials

(includingrepresentativesoftheMOJ)attended

roundtablesonactivitiesorganizedbyYenme.

6

CivilSocietyBrief:Turkmenistan

FundingofCivil

SocietyOrganizations

Sinceindependence,nationalpublicassociationshave

receivedgovernmentfundingandcanenjoyotherbenefitsfromhigh-levelpatronage.Forexample,theUnionof

IndustrialistsandEntrepreneursreceivesgovernment

supportintheformofland,contracts,andpreferredloans.

Localpublicassociationsandeconomicsocietiesrelyprimarilyongrantsfromforeigngovernmentsand

intergovernmentalagencies.ThemaindonorsincludetheUS,theUnitedKingdom,theEuropeanUnion,the

InternationalOrganizationforMigration,theOrganization

forSecurityandCo-operationinEurope,andtheUnitedNationsDevelopmentProgramme.Theirgrantsto

localCSOsrarelyexceed$25,000.Publicassociationssometimescontractwithlocalgovernmentagencies

toimplementprogramsinareassuchassocialservicesandyouth.

PhilanthropicandcharitableactivitiesareothersourcesofincomeforCSOs,althoughinformationaboutlevelsofgivingislimited.Someorganizationsreceivein-kindsupportfromcommunitiesorindividuals.Forexample,thelocalpublicassociationYenmeinAshgabatreceivesdonationsofuseditemstodistributetopeopleinneed.

Corporatesocialresponsibilityprogramsare

underdevelopedinTurkmenistan,andpartnershipsbetweenbusinessesandCSOsarerare.Smalland

medium-sizedenterprisescomprisethebulkoftheprivatesector,andtheyusuallylacktheresourcestoinvestin

socialprojects.Nevertheless,privatesectorphilanthropy

isbeginningtotakehold.Forexample,YenmeandMashgalahavereceivedin-kindsupportfromlocalbusinesses.

Inanascentbutdevelopingtrend,somelocalCSOs

generaterevenuebyoperatingsocialenterprises.Yenme

sewsandsellsreusablegrocerybags,theeconomicsocietyDap-Dessurproducesbabykits,andBosforoffersfee-

basedtraining.SomeCSOsgenerateincomethroughmembershipduesandservicefees,butsuchincomeisusuallyinsignificant.

CapacityofCivil

SocietyOrganizations

Nationalpublicassociationsusuallyhavewell-

developedorganizationalstructures,withacentral

secretariat,nationalandregionalbranches,andlocal

representativesinallprovinces.Theyaregenerally

well-staffed,withcomfortableofficesandwell-

documentedinternalpolicies.EstablishedlocalCSOs

haveadvancedmanagementcapacities,includingskilled

personnel,organizationalcharts,andemployeeand

volunteerpolicies.

Incontrast,smallerandnewerCSOsbasedinthe

provincesoftenhavepoorlydevelopedmanagement,

humanresources,andpublicrelationsskills.

Throughoutthecountry,employeeretentioncanbe

apressingproblemfororganizationswithoutfunding

frominternationaldonorsorthegovernment.Most

organizationsareproject-fundedandlacklonger-term

fundraisingandcommunicationsstrategiestoensure

theirsustainability.However,becauseCSOsaregenerallyexemptfromincometax,theyrarelyshutdownbecauseoffinancialdifficulties.

Internationaldevelopmentpartnerssupportthe

institutionalgrowthoforganizationsworkingonwomen’s

andyouthissues,education,andecology.Forexample,

theEmbassyoftheUnitedStatesinTurkmenistan

sometimeshoststrainingandroundtablesforlocalCSOsonsubjectssuchasthepreparationofgrantproposalsandtheimplementationofgrant-fundedprojects.SomeCSOsprovidetrainingandservicestostrengthenthecapacity

ofothergroups.Mashgalaprovidesinformation,internet

access,andconsultingservicestootherorganizations;

Yenmeofferstraining,information,computers,and

consultingservices;theUnionofEconomistspermits

CSOstouseitseducationalmaterials;andBosforoffers

awiderangeofmaterialsonlegalandgenderissues.

ThepublicassociationKeyikOkaraadvisesCSOson

migrationissuesandtravelandstudyabroad,while

theAssociationofAccountantsprovidesaccounting

services.Localauthoritiessometimesofferoffices

andotherorganizationalandinfrastructuresupportto

publicassociationsimplementingprojectsfundedby

internationaldonororganizations.

7

CivilSocietyBrief:Turkmenistan

Efficient,safe,andreliabletransportation.TheNorth?SouthRailwayProject,oneofADB’sdevelopmentprojectsinTurkmenistan,seekstocreateanefficient,safe,andreliablerailwaytransportnetwork.Itwillalsoboostconnectivitywithneighboringcountries(photobyADB).

Althoughthegovernmenthastakenstepstoreduce

thecostofinternetusage,internetspeedsremainslow,especiallyinruralareas.Someinternationalwebsites

andsocialmediaplatforms—includingYahoo,Facebook,andWhatsApp—areblockedorunavailable,creating

communicationchallengesforsomecivilsocietygroups.

ADB–CivilSocietyCooperation

TheAsianDevelopmentBank(ADB)isalong-standingpartneroftheGovernmentofTurkmenistanandprovidescrucialassistancetothecountry’sdevelopmentneeds.

ADBishelpingthegov