On April 16, 2025, at UN headquarters in New York, on the sidelines of the ECOSOC Youth Forum and the second meeting of the "Central Asian Youth Dialogue", the Deputy Minister of Education of Turkmenistan held a bilateral meeting with UNFPA Deputy Executive Director Diene Keita.

In their speech, the Turkmen delegation emphasized that the slogan of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov "Youth is the pillar of the Motherland" reflects a strategic approach to raising a patriotic, educated and ambitious generation capable of becoming the driving force of sustainable development. Under the leadership of the head of state, Turkmenistan has created an inclusive model that takes into account the individual interests, skills and aspirations of young people, ensuring their active participation in the economic, social and cultural life of the country. This model, according to the delegates, allows not only to reveal the potential of young people, but also to use the demographic dividend for a new round of innovative development of the knowledge-based economy.

Diene Keita praised Turkmenistan's initiatives, noting their alignment with UNFPA's mission in the field of demography and youth policy. She praised the country's leadership in establishing the Central Asian Youth Dialogue and its role in strengthening regional cooperation. Keita called the Turkmen model an example for other countries. 

UNFPA Deputy Executive Director spoke in detail about UNFPA's activities, including programs on demography, reproductive health and gender equality, noting their success in Central Asia. Keita emphasized UNFPA's support for the “Yashlyk” platform and the census, as well as the potential for integrating Turkmen initiatives into UNFPA's global projects, such as the Youth Leadership Programme and Data for Development.

During the meeting, the parties discussed current areas of cooperation, in particular cooperation in the field of studying UNFPA's experience in innovative methods in the field of using demographic data for comprehensive planning and analysis. 

Specific opportunities for cooperation were also proposed: 1) a regional training program on demographic data analysis for education planning; 2) organizing trainings on "21st-century skills" to prepare young people for the changing demands of the labor market. She noted that UNFPA is ready to provide expertise, and the "Central Asian Youth Dialogue" can become a platform for scaling up these initiatives. Keita thanked Turkmenistan for organizing the high-level event, emphasizing its contribution to the global agenda and Pact for the Future, and supported the idea of an expert meeting to implement projects, expressing UNFPA's readiness to expand the partnership through joint educational and demographic projects.