Ashgabat hosted a regular session of the Disease Control and Prevention Interagency Coordinating Committee. The representatives of more than 50 ministries and departments of the country, public organisations and mass media, as well as the specialists of the WHO Regional office and Programme Manager of the WHO Regional Office for Europe Kristina Mauer-Stender participated in the meeting.
As is known, the representatives of the Member States of the World Health Organization in the European Region signed the Ashgabat Declaration on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases during the Ministerial Conference on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases held in Ashgabat in 2013.
The National Strategy for the implementation of the Ashgabat Declaration in 2014-2020 was approved in May, 2014 and the Disease Control and Prevention Interagency Coordinating Committee was established.
The session agenda focused on the tobacco control, healthy nutrition and health communication. The national strategy priorities the protection of the present and future generations from the harmful effects of tobacco. In the context of the declaration, Turkmenistan has set itself a key goal - to become the tobacco free country by 2025.
To implement these plans, in accordance with the WHO recommendations, the country works on the state monopolization on the import and sale of tobacco products.For the same purpose, the tobacco taxes are regularly increased, and the educational work with the population is conducted.
The complex of measures on the noncommunicable diseases control is held in joint cooperation with the ministries and departments of the country, the members of the Disease Control and Prevention Interagency Coordinating Committee.
The government pays particular attention to the issues of healthy nutrition, quality and safety of food and drinking water.The meeting participants got acquainted with the results of the work carried out in this direction.
For example, the regulatory documents were revised and bakery products with a lower content of table salt and sugar are produced in order to prevent NCDs and introduce the principles of healthy nutrition.
This practice is being implemented at the enterprises of the State Food Industry Association and the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan.
Moreover, special attention is given to healthy nutrition in secondary schools and preschool institutions. The awareness campaigns are regularly held in the media, the meetings and presentations on various topics of proper nutrition are organized in order to prevent obesity in the normal development of the body.
Those speaking during the meeting noted that the systematic research of the nutritional value of products and other measures laid down in the state programmes and legislative acts of Turkmenistan served as the key aspects of the healthy food supply.
The presentation on the Turkmen people's traditional food culture was of particular interest for the meeting participants.
The presentations, dedicated to the development of health tourism and special projects of the State Committee for Television, Radio Broadcasting and Cinematography were accompanied by video materials.
December, 2018 will be marked by the fifth anniversary of the Ashgabat Declaration on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases.The next Ministerial Conference on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, which is planned to be held in Turkmenistan, will be dedicated to this event and will summarize the work done over the years.
The ministers of health care and other departments, representing 53 countries of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, will take part in meeting.
The Ashgabat meeting participants commented the outcomes of the joint work upon completion of the session.
WHO Regional Office for Europe Kristina Mauer-Stender:
''Turkmenistan has set the ambitious target to become the tobacco free country by 2025. This means that the number of smokers will not increase five percent of the adult population. Turkmenistan has launched the national plan to achieve the goal.
I'd like to note that everything done in Turkmenistan today is very important for other countries that can use the positive experience of this country.To ensure this it is necessary to provide the informative support to this work, including tobacco control and healthy nutrition as well.
Therefore, it is very important to widely cover these aspects in mass media.
WHO supports the national action plans, developed by Turkmenistan, and we believe that their implementation will bring the desired results''.
Bahtygul KARRYEVA, Head of WHO Country Office in Turkmenistan:
''The agenda on the sustainable development till 2030 is the global action plan aimed at ensuring the healthy and happy life.
Turkmenistan is one of the first countries to launch consultations on the adaptation of the Sustainable Development Goals.The government of the country together with the UN agencies developed three stages for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in Turkmenistan.
Based on the results of the consultations, 121 out of 169 tasks were recommended for adoption without changes, 27 tasks were adapted based on the national circumstances.Of the 241 indicators, 109 were adopted without changes, and 50 ones were adjusted.
In addition, 39 national indicators were developed.This list of recommendations was officially approved by the Government of Turkmenistan.
The Sustainable Development Goals coincide with the WHO Health 2020 policy. WHO Regional Office for Europe developed a roadmap to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals with the aim to judge the socio-economic stability in the region.
The road map for the implementation of Agenda 2030 includes five strategic directions: political will for health and well-being of people, attention to everyone, prevention of diseases and healthy lifestyles, intersectoral interaction in health issues, strengthening the national health system.
The implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals it possible to realize the ideas reflected in the documents - from the Ottawa Charter to the Helsinki Declaration''.