WASHINGTON, November 3, 2015 — The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today discussed the new Country Engagement Note (CEN) for Turkmenistan that will guide the cooperation between the World Bank Group (WBG) and Turkmenistan covering the period 2016-2017.
The new strategy of engagement in Turkmenistan focuses on sharing with the Turkmen authorities World Bank Group’s international knowledge, experiences, and best practices in several areas relevant to Turkmenistan’s growth agenda and its integration into the global economy. The new strategy includes follow-up activities in the areas of ongoing engagement, as well as additional activities in new areas.
The knowledge-based program, which is at the cornerstone of the CEN, is fully consistent with the government’s strategic priorities and will be delivered mostly through the reimbursable advisory services (RAS). The government of Turkmenistan will primarily fund this program, and it will be supplemented by other WBG’s advisory and analytical services.
“Turkmenistan expressed its firm interest in further World Bank Group’s technical assistance to support economic and financial reforms in the country,” said Saroj Kumar Jha, World Bank’s Regional Director for Central Asia. “This new World Bank Group country strategy will build on the positive results of our previous engagement with Turkmenistan, specifically through bringing global knowledge and international experience to help the government in its reform agenda for the benefit of the Turkmen people.”
“We believe that a dynamic private sector can help a country grow, creating jobs and encouraging integration with other markets,” said Tomasz Telma, Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia at International Finance Corporation (IFC). “We are committed to working with Turkmenistan to help address constraints to private sector growth in the country.”
The goal of the new strategy is to assist the government in addressing priority issues related to the country’s development goals. Continuing the approach of the Interim Strategy Note (ISN) for the period FY2014-2015, this new program aims to support Turkmenistan’s gradual integration into the international economy and transition to a market-based economy. In 2016-2017, Turkmenistan and WBG will deepen the ongoing cooperation in macroeconomic statistics and financial sector development, and will broaden it in two new areas of increased competitiveness and natural resources management. The CEN program activities are grouped into four broad areas of engagement: (a) improving data for policymaking and governance; (b) financial sector modernization; (c) enhancing competitiveness; and (d) managing natural resources efficiently.
Turkmenistan joined the World Bank Group in September 1992, and in 1996 the Bank established a Liaison Office in Ashgabat to enhance communications with the government and to provide operational support.
