Turkmenistan drafts amendments to social protection and licensing laws

Photo: The press service of the Turkmen Government.

BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 24. Turkmenistan is preparing amendments to legislation on social protection, administrative offenses, business licensing, leasing and joint-stock companies.

The legislative work was discussed on Friday at an online meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers chaired by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov.

Speaker of the Turkmen Parliament Dunyagozel Gulmanova reported that parliamentary working groups are drafting bills to update existing legislation and establish the legal basis for the country’s accession to international instruments.

The planned changes cover the Social Protection Code and the Code of Administrative Offenses, as well as the laws on licensing certain activities, leasing and joint-stock companies.

Gulmanova also briefed the meeting on efforts to strengthen interparliamentary cooperation and exchange experience in legislative work. Turkmen parliamentarians had made working visits to Andorra, Tanzania and Tajikistan.

The Parliament also held talks with the regional representative of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for Central Asia, focusing on ways to improve national legislation.

President Berdimuhamedov stressed the importance of continuing to modernize the country’s legal framework and ensuring effective work on amendments and additions to existing laws.

Turkmenistan’s ongoing legislative modernization forms part of a broader effort to align national laws with constitutional requirements, international standards and current socio-economic priorities. The Social Protection Code and related frameworks build on earlier reforms, including the 2021 Law on Social Services that shifted the system toward community-based support; community-level social services have expanded to 36 districts by 2025 (with full coverage of 56 districts targeted by 2027), supported by UNICEF, ILO and other partners through assessments such as the Core Diagnostic Instrument (CODI) and professional training programs for social workers. Parallel updates to the Code of Administrative Offenses (major amendments effective 1 May 2026), the Law on Licensing of Certain Types of Activity (revised edition with further changes in April 2026), and legislation on leasing and joint-stock companies aim to improve the business climate, streamline regulation and support entrepreneurship.