Dominated by government-supported NGOs (GONGOs), Turkmenistan’s legal and political environment is antagonistic to the independent civic actors, who experience constant state-directed harassment, intimidation, and even persecution. In the meantime, the infrastructure supporting civil society is significantly underdeveloped.
Such an environment forced a range of independent civic actors to leave the country, with some naturally emerging outside Turkmenistan, and playing a crucial role in informing the Turkmen public and the international community on the situation in Turkmenistan. However, these actors, too, face complex challenges, shaped by the state-directed intimidation and absence of international support and funding.
Furthermore, CSOs, both domestic and outside the country, face interconnected challenges, such as lack of government reforms that prevent CSOs becoming independent and self-sustaining, poor supporting infrastructure, weak institutional and operational capacity, financial viability, limited opportunities to improve these capacities, as well as absence of a unified civil society community and action. Poor coverage of civil society activities in national media, apart from a few selected GONGOs, and ongoing internet blockade, contribute to their low public visibility.
As a result, the public in Turkmenistan is left without effective mechanisms and channels to make their concerns and interests heard by the government. Recognising a multitude of factors and developments in the country, this report provides a detailed overview of the challenges and obstructions civil society faces in Turkmenistan and provides recommendations to the government, international institutions, donors, and the civic actors to improve the civic space.
The following are key recommendations proposed to foster healthy and sustainable civic space in Turkmenistan:
- for government of Turkmenistan to:
align the legal framework for NGOs with international human rights standards, cease harassment of activists and journalists, ensure unrestricted access to information, facilitate trilateral dialogue among the government, CSOs, and civic groups, and enhance the capacity of the Office of the Ombudsperson;
- for the international organisations and donors to:
revise the engagement strategy with independent civil society, establish concrete benchmarks for registration, operation of civil society groups, promote dialog between the civil society and the government, consistently advocate for the removal of legal restrictions, increase support and funding for Turkmen civil society, and promote coalition-building and civic education initiatives;
- for Turkmen civil society to:
foster solidarity and trust within civil society, prioritise sustainability, provide unbiased information, and support civic education to engage and inform the Turkmen public.
Civil Society Inside and Outside Turkmenistan
FULL REPORT (PDF)
Photo: UNDP
Photo description: The Nature Protection Society of Turkmenistan reaches out
to children in “Dayanch” summer camp to mark the World Environment Day
