It is well known that in any developing country, the goals and objectives of developing economic opportunities are impossible without taking into account the consistent improvement of social and living conditions and the development of services for the population. Here, in order to create conditions for the protection of the population and, in particular, for those in dire need, the need for continuous improvement of social services is important.
It is worth recalling that such guarantees for citizens are enshrined in Article No. 5 of the First Section of the Main Law of Turkmenistan, which states that “Turkmenistan is a state that guarantees social security for every person.” And Article No. 4 is dissonant and reinforces this norm: “In Turkmenistan, the highest value of society and the state is a person. The protection, support and service of a person are the main tasks of governmental authorities. The state is responsible to every citizen and ensures the creation of conditions for the free development of the individual, protects life, honor, dignity, freedom, personal inviolability, natural and inalienable rights of a citizen."
As we can see, these points accumulate the national experience of the people over centuries, gradually transforming into principles of humanism, legality and high humanity, especially in relation to those in special need.
In addition, the above-mentioned postulates and legal norms are enshrined in the Turkmen legislation in the progressive Law of Turkmenistan "On Social Services", which came into force in 2022. This document defines the legal, organizational and economic basis for the provision of social services to certain categories of people. In addition, this legal act has become the basis and one of the basic documents that support the correctness of society's determination of the assessment and highlighting of its main value that "The state is for the people!"
The new law guarantees the population's ability to use services and serves as a way of providing all kinds of assistance to those in special need. The articles of the law are aimed at promoting equal opportunities for all members of society, and are aimed at strengthening social unity and preventing social isolation. The essence of many provisions of the law is also aimed at providing assistance for leading a decent, safe and creative life, and equal participation in the public life of the state. There are also norms on the need to assist individuals in overcoming difficult life situations that they are unable to resolve with their own resources and available opportunities.
The new law also clearly sets out the rights of users of social services, including, for example, the right to “protect their rights and legitimate interests in accordance with the legislation of Turkmenistan,” as well as “to receive free, accessible information about their rights, obligations, types and forms of social services provided, the terms, procedure and conditions for their provision, tariffs for these services, the possibility of using these services free of charge, also about providers of social services.”
The law adopted in the area of social services also stipulates an important point that citizens have the right to appeal any controversial issues that arise in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of Turkmenistan.
