The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) published a “Turkmenistan 2023 IFRC network annual report”. The report highlights the Red Crescent Society of Turkmenistan’s (National Society) work across areas such as climate, disasters, health, migration, and inclusion. However, it lacks measurable targets, specific data, and transparency about the outcomes of its initiatives. Readers can access our previous articles on IFRC here, here and here as well as access all the national reports from 2013-2023 here.
Key findings from the report are summarized below.
- Limited Reach vs. Ambitious Goals: The Red Crescent Society of Turkmenistan planned to reach 450,000 people in Turkmenistan in 2023 but only reached 129,639 individuals. It is unclear if these were unique beneficiaries.
- Ambiguities in Reporting: The report provides generic descriptions of events without detailing who was reached, their needs, or how assistance was provided. For instance, water pumps were provided to six villages as part of the USAID initiative, but their locations and reasons for lacking access to clean water were not disclosed.
- Legal Assistance for Stateless Persons: This project was launched in 2023 focusing on data collection, research and information management in relation to refugees. The National Society prepared for a potential influx of refugees from Afghanistan following the October earthquake there. However, no publicly available results or data were provided.
- Addressing Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking: A project proposal for a “unified local computer network” was submitted via the IFRC Capacity Building Fund for 2024. It is unclear, however, what this unified network is and how it will be used to address domestic violence and human trafficking issues.
- Tuberculosis Treatment: A pilot program using video-observed treatment for tuberculosis patients lacks clarity on how it operates, especially given limited internet access in the country.
- Humanitarian Responses: The National Society responded to the October earthquake in Afghanistan, which also affected border areas in Turkmenistan. They claim to have provided humanitarian aid to families affected by domestic and natural fires. However, it is not clear what these fires are, if they were caused by the earthquake, who and how many people were impacted by these natural disasters and how exactly the Society helped those affected. This is the first time they mention providing assistance to the affected communities in Turkmenistan. For example, the National Society completely ignored the 2020 storm in Lebap and Mary regions which affected the lives and livelihoods of many Turkmen people.
- Financial Requirements: Long-term funding requirement for Turkmenistan is CHF 7.1 million, though unclear if this funding is for 2021-2025. Of this, the funding requirement of the IFRC Secretariat is CHF 3.9 million and of the National Society is CHF 3.2 million. In 2023 the National Society income was CHF 2.9 million while it spent CHF 2.7 million, as illustrated in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Income and expenditure over time for the Red Crescent Society of Turkmenistan
Source: Red Crescent Society of Turkmenistan.
- Annual Financial Report for 2023: The biggest source of income for the National Society in 2023 was from corporations and income generating activities (see Figure 2). The Society also received funding from:
- IFRC Secretariat: CHF 124,000
- Participating National Societies: CHF 32,000
- USAID: CHF 341,362
Figure 2. Sources of Income for the Red Crescent Society of Turkmenistan in 2023
Source: Red Crescent Society of Turkmenistan.
- Financial Concerns: In its financial report for 2023 the National Society has some unjustified spending such as:
- Digital transformation: CHF 27,160 spent but its purpose and impact is unclear.Leadership development: CHF 7,455 spent as an unplanned expense with no details provided.
- Membership Coordination: Budgeted at CHF 6,610 but overspent by CHF 2,565 without explanation.
- Capacity and Accountability Issues: An internal audit in 2023 reported “no major violations,” without any clarification. Meanwhile, IFRC provided the National Society with capacity-building efforts in financial management and data collection. It is not clear if this support was in relation to and as a result of these ‘no major’ violations uncovered during the financial audit. Similarly, the IFRC provided technical and financial support to strengthen the National Society’s capacity for data collection and research. To date, the National Society has not published detailed and disaggregated data or research on their activities and beneficiaries
- Data Reliability: The report notes potential “missing data and breakdowns”, and “a self-reporting bias” that raises concerns about the accuracy of the information provided by the National Society.
The lack of clarity, measurable outcomes, and detailed reporting makes it difficult to evaluate the effectiveness and credibility of the National Society’s efforts.
