Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
List of issues in relation to the third periodic report of Turkmenistan *
1.The State Party is invited to submit in writing the information requested below (preferably not exceeding 10,700 words) by 30 November 2025 .
A.General information
2.With reference to paragraphs 13 to 16 of the State Party report, please provide detailed information on the training provided on the provisions of the Covenant and their justiciability, including the number of judges, prosecutors, lawyers and other relevant legal professionals who received such training. Please also provide information on how the legislature was involved in the implementation of and follow-up to the Committee’s previous concluding observations, especially regarding legal harmonization with the obligations under the Covenant, and its role in the development of the third periodic report.
3.Please provide information on measures taken by the State Party with regard to the mitigation of climate change, including specific measures, and their impact, to meet the nationally determined contributions for reducing emissions that the State Party has set itself under the Paris Agreement. Please also provide information on the progress made in reducing per capita greenhouse gas emissions and on targets that the State Party has set for further reductions. With respect to climate change adaptation policies and measures, please provide information on:
(a)How the State Party assesses the impacts of climate change on the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights, in particular for marginalized and disadvantaged individuals and groups;
(b)Whether the State Party has developed or plans to develop a national adaptation plan, with an adequate allocation of all required resources, to address the impacts of climate change on, inter alia, economic, social and cultural rights;
(c)Measures taken to strengthen preparedness for and responses to natural disasters, disaster risk reduction measures, and measures taken to adopt a strategy to this end, with an adequate allocation of financial resources;
(d)Which institutions are tasked with the development and implementation of climate change adaptation measures and policies for slow-onset impacts in different areas, such as agriculture, housing and health, and how coordination among the institutions responsible for disaster preparedness and management is ensured.
4.Please provide information on the measures implemented to improve the data‑collection system, in particular regarding disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups. In addition, please provide information on the actions taken, and their impact, to strengthen the capacity of State entities’ systems for collecting and analysing data. Furthermore, please provide information on how these data are shared with the international community. Please provide updated statistical information on unemployment rates and the proportion of workers in the informal sector, and data related to minorities, children, women and persons living with HIV/AIDS. Please also provide information about the sectors (agriculture, industry, the service sector, etc.) where formal and informal workers are employed, and disaggregated census data.
5.Please provide information on the number of cases in which the provisions of the Covenant have been invoked before the State Party’s domestic courts, and examples thereof.
6.Please provide information on the measures taken, in addition to those mentioned in paragraphs 27 to 31 of the State Party report, to create safeguards to ensure the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, including to establish an independent and transparent mechanism for the appointment, promotion, suspension and removal of judges and to combat corruption in the judiciary. Please also provide information on the role of the judges’ qualification board, including regarding the process for the selection of its members, its composition, and whether its conclusions are binding or advisory in nature.
7.Please provide information on the measures taken, and their impact, to follow up on the recommendations contained in the report of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions of October 2024, including regarding the responsiveness of the Office of the Ombudsman to allegations of human rights violations, the accessibility and responsiveness of complaints mechanisms, the selection and appointment procedure for the post of Ombudsman, the level of funding of the Office of the Ombudsman, and measures to ensure the independence of the Office of the Ombudsman. Please also provide information on the cases handled and remedies provided by the Office of the Ombudsman in relation to violations of rights under the Covenant.
8.Please provide information on the measures taken, and their impact, to ensure that civil society organizations are able to operate freely, including to receive and apply for grants. Please provide information on the registration of civil society organizations focusing on human rights, as well as data on registration refusals and the rationale for the decisions.
9.Please provide information on the impact of the National Anti-Corruption Programme for 2020–2024, mentioned in paragraph 41 of the State Party report, and of the measures mentioned in paragraphs 42 to 47 of the State Party report to address corruption, including regarding access to healthcare and education. In addition, please provide information on cases of corruption that were registered, investigated and prosecuted, and the number of perpetrators convicted, and reparations provided, as applicable. Lastly, please provide information on progress made in adopting a new national anti-corruption programme for 2025–2029.
B.Issues relating to the general provisions of the Covenant (arts. 1–5)
Maximum available resources (art. 2 (1))
10.Please provide updated information on the evolution of the following, covering the past 10 years:
(a)The proportion of the population living below the nationally defined poverty line;
(b)Levels of inequality, before and after taxes and transfers, if possible defined as the ratio between the total income of the richest 10 per cent of the population and the total income of the poorest 40 per cent and as the ratio between the assets owned by the richest 10 per cent of the population and the assets owned by the poorest 50 per cent;
(c)The economy, in particular through the annual variations of gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita and the level of public debt in proportion to GDP;
(d)The proportion of public revenue generated through taxes and as a percentage of GDP, the proportion of public revenue obtained through direct and indirect taxes, the corporate tax revenue rate and the percentage of total revenue generated from personal tax collected on the incomes of the richest 10 per cent of the population, as well as provide an evaluation of the amount of tax evasion and tax avoidance and the fiscal cost of the main tax benefits;
(e)Public expenditure as a percentage of GDP and, within total public expenditure, the proportion of the public budget allocated to social spending, including social security, food, water and sanitation, housing, health and education;
(f) The proportion of the public budget allocated to defence;
(g)Any fiscal policies adopted in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
11.Please provide information on legislative, administrative or other measures taken, and their impact, to ensure that businesses respect the economic, social and cultural rights of all persons and apply the principle of due diligence throughout their operations and that victims have access to effective remedies in the State Party.
Non-discrimination (art. 2 (2))
12.Please provide information on additional efforts taken towards the adoption of comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation, the inclusion of provisions on direct and indirect discrimination in the Labour Code and the establishment of legal provisions for access to effective and appropriate remedies for victims of discrimination. Please provide information on measures taken to tackle stigmatization, discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, including to repeal article 135 of the Criminal Code, which criminalizes same-sex relations. In addition, please provide information on the measures taken, and their impact, to address discrimination faced by persons living with HIV/AIDS, including in the areas of marriage and travel. Lastly, please provide information on measures taken to stop the practice of “third-generation tests” for employment and higher education.
13.Please provide information on the measures taken, and their impact, regarding the enjoyment by non-nationals of economic, social and cultural rights, including regarding:
(a)The requirement for former refugee and stateless children to provide evidence of the absence of a second citizenship when renewing passports;
(b)Ensuring that the principle of non-refoulement is respected in practice;
(c)Ensuring that asylum-seekers have information about asylum procedures and receive legal assistance regarding their potential asylum claims;
(d)Ensuring that citizens of the State Party living abroad can renew and obtain their passports;
(e)Facilitating the naturalization process for stateless children.
Equal rights of men and women (art. 3)
14.Please provide information on the implementation and impact of the National Plan of Action for Gender Equality for the period 2021–2025, mentioned in paragraph 90 of the State Party report. Please provide information on the measures taken to increase the participation of women in the labour market and to address occupational gender segregation, including by addressing stereotypes regarding the roles and responsibilities of women and men in the family and society in general. Please provide information on the measures foreseen to further reduce the wage gap, including in the fields of public administration, mining and transportation. Please provide information on the measures taken, and their impact, to ensure women’s access to higher education, including in rural areas.
C.Issues relating to the specific provisions of the Covenant (arts. 6–15)
Right to work (art. 6)
15.Regarding the use of forced labour, recruitment, extortion practices, and working conditions during the cotton harvest, please provide information on the impact of the measures mentioned in paragraphs 111 to 119 of the State Party report. Please provide information on the number and nature of complaints filed regarding forced labour, on the number of subsequent investigations conducted and on the numbers of violations identified and penalties imposed. In reference to paragraph 119 of the State Party report, please provide information on the results of the monitoring of working conditions during the cotton harvest in Turkmenistan in 2023 and on the status of the establishment of a joint mechanism with the International Labour Organization (ILO) to improve working conditions and prevent forced labour during the cotton harvest.
16.Please provide information on the number of persons affected by the practice of forced mobilization, that is, the forced labour of civil servants (mainly women), students and medical staff, under threat of such penalties as the loss of wages or salary cuts and the termination of employment, during the cotton harvest. Please also provide information, including statistics, on the practice of individuals paying “replacement workers”, some of whom are children, to partake in the cotton harvest on their behalf.
17.Please provide information on the concrete measures taken, within the framework of the National Action Plan on Human Rights for the period 2021–2025, to eliminate child labour, and on the results achieved. Please also provide information on any concrete results of the road map agreed upon between the State Party and ILO.
Right to just and favourable conditions of work (art. 7)
18.Please provide information on the coverage and enforcement of the minimum wage, on the indexation of the minimum wage to the level of inflation and on measures taken or envisaged to increase the minimum wage to a level that provides workers and their families with an adequate standard of living. Please also provide information on working conditions, including remuneration, in the cotton industry.
Trade union rights (art. 8)
19.Please provide information on the measures taken, and their impact, to implement guarantees in legislation to safeguard the right to strike and protect workers from reprisals for engaging in trade union activities. Please provide information on the measures taken, and their impact, to protect the independence of trade unions and to guarantee the right to join and form trade unions.
Right to social security (art. 9)
20.Please provide information on the coverage of the State social security benefits mentioned in paragraphs 140 to 146 of the State Party report. In addition, please provide information on the measures taken, and their impact, to ensure that those employed in the informal economy have access to social protection.
Protection of the family and children (art. 10)
21.Please provide information on the impact of the measures mentioned in paragraphs 132 to 139 of the State Party report, and on additional current or future measures to tackle the issue of domestic violence, especially in rural areas, including by:
(a)Criminalizing domestic violence and providing legal protection;
(b)Ensuring prompt investigation and prosecution of offenders and the effective protection, rehabilitation and compensation of victims;
(c)Providing adequate social and legal support to victims of domestic violence, including an inter-agency response to gender-based violence against women and to violence against children;
(d)Enhancing the capabilities and skills of representatives and personnel of the health, social protection and law enforcement sectors and establishing coordination mechanisms for providing comprehensive assistance in cases of violence (with reference to paragraph 133 of the State Party report);
(e)Addressing and eradicating social stigmatization around domestic violence and reducing barriers around seeking protection and legal remedies.
Right to an adequate standard of living (art. 11)
22.Please provide data on poverty in the State Party, including the proportion of the population living in poverty and extreme poverty, and on concrete progress made in reducing poverty, disaggregated by year, sex, age, ethnic group and urban or rural area. Please provide information on the measures taken to collect and make public data on poverty. Lastly, please provide information on the steps taken to establish a national poverty line.
23.Please provide information on additional measures taken, and their impact, to ensure that the registration system (propiska) does not limit access to economic, social and cultural rights, in particular regarding employment, housing, healthcare and social benefits, and to facilitate the ability to obtain propiska outside the place of origin.
24.Please provide information on the mass house demolitions and forced evictions that have taken place and on the number of households affected over the reporting period. Please provide information on the measures taken, and their impact, to provide State assistance to families and individuals experiencing food insecurity. Please also provide information on practices to measure the implementation of the right to adequate food, and statistical data on child stunting.
25.Please provide information on the cotton industry’s environmental impact, both long‑term and short-term, including on water resources, as well as the impact of cotton production on non-cotton agricultural production.
Right to physical and mental health (art. 12)
26.Please provide information on the measures taken, and their impact, to strengthen healthcare services, including those related to mental health. Please provide information on the measures taken, and their impact, to ensure that the efforts made to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, mentioned in paragraph 50 of the State Party report, are available and accessible without discrimination.
27.Please provide information on the measures taken, and their impact, to ensure access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services, in particular for women, adolescents and persons living in rural areas, including access to modern contraception and abortions. Please provide information on the measures taken, and their impact, to include sexual and reproductive health topics in school curricula.
Right to education (arts. 13 and 14)
28.Please provide information on the measures taken to improve the quality of education, including the availability of qualified teachers. Please provide information on the status of the restrictions introduced in 2015 on the recognition of diplomas from foreign universities. Please provide information on the measures taken, and their impact, to increase enrolment in pre-primary education, especially in rural areas, and to increase the capacity of the higher education system. Please provide information on the measures taken, and their impact, to combat corruption in access to higher education institutions, including through the enforcement of laws to prevent the charging of fees for access to higher education. Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to implement inclusive education. Please provide information on the measures taken, and their impact, to increase the number of minority language teachers and ensure the provision of the relevant teaching materials.
29.Please provide information on measures taken to develop multilingual and multicultural education.
Cultural rights (art. 15)
30.Please provide information on the measures taken, and their impact, to make the Internet more accessible, faster and affordable, including in rural areas. Please provide statistical data on the number of websites that are restricted and the criteria for those restrictions.
31.Please provide information on:
(a)Strategies and legislation adopted on the State language and the measures taken to preserve, in this context, cultural diversity;
(b)The consultative mechanisms that allow national/ethnic minorities to fully participate in decision-making processes.