The Role of Youth in Civil Society Discussed in Ashgabat

Ashgabat, January 9, 2026. At the initiative of the Public Association (PA) “Junior Achievement Turkmenistan,” a meeting was held bringing together 20 representatives from non-governmental organizations and socially-oriented economic societies to discuss the role of youth in the development of civil society.

The primary objective of the meeting was to prepare a national presentation for the upcoming 6th EU Central Asia Civil Society Forum, scheduled for February 5–6, 2026, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The Forum is a key component of the four-year project, “Support Fund for Civil Society in Central Asia,” implemented by UNOPS in partnership with the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) and with financial support from the European Union. A core task of the project is the formation of five Thematic Working Groups (TWGs), including one specifically dedicated to Youth Engagement.

Recognizing that youth-focused work is integrated into nearly every civil society organization, “Junior Achievement Turkmenistan” sought to consolidate efforts to address key challenges, thematic recommendations, and the strengths of current youth policy development.

“Our goal is to identify challenges common to the region and, more importantly, to define unique opportunities for cooperation that will allow young people to become full participants in the country’s socio-economic life,” the organizers noted.

A distinctive feature of the preparation for the Bishkek forum is the deep integration of various expert communities. According to the TWG guidelines, each group must include organizations from all five Central Asian countries. At the conclusion of the current stage, the findings of the five thematic groups will be synthesized into a single, unified national presentation for Turkmenistan. For instance, the Public Association Enterprise “Tebigy Kuwwat,” a member of the “Climate Change and the Environment” TWG, has already submitted its national presentation for the upcoming Forum.

The efforts to strengthen youth engagement discussed at this meeting represent just one of the five components of a comprehensive national report.

During the discussion, participants identified several key barriers facing modern youth:

• The Education-Labor Market Gap: The urgent need to adapt academic knowledge to the practical demands of the digital economy.
• Access to Resources in Regions: The necessity of expanding infrastructure to support youth self-actualization in rural areas.

Public organizations possess unique expert capital, which was utilized to form a package of concrete steps to elevate the role of youth. These include the establishment of permanent dialogue platforms between youth leaders and the business community, as well as the expansion of vocational guidance programs.

Special emphasis was placed on regional cooperation within Central Asia. Experts proposed several strategic initiatives:

• Joint Hubs for launching startups with a social impact.
• A Regional Volunteer Network.
• Knowledge Exchange in the fields of ecology, culture, and inclusion.
• A Unified Web Platform to serve as a hub for exchanging best practices among NGOs across Central Asian countries.

The meeting demonstrated that the youth of Turkmenistan are prepared not only to adopt international best practices but also to propose their own innovative solutions for the development of the entire region.

Ayna Atayeva.