Ashgabat, September 25, 2025 – From September 23 to 25, 2025, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative Office in Turkmenistan organized a three-day capacity-building training for national specialists in demographic research and data analysis. The event was a key step in preparing for the country’s first-ever Fertility Aspirations Survey. The training was conducted by UNFPA International Expert, Professor Dr. İsmet Koç, Director of the Institute of Population Studies at Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey.
During the training, participants mastered the theoretical aspects and methodology of conducting the survey, as well as technical skills for determining and calculating data for the sample, data collection, comprehensive analysis of results, and developing recommendations. The survey aims to understand fertility aspirations, the difference between the desired and actual number of children, and factors influencing fertility.
This event is part of the comprehensive support that UNFPA provides to Turkmenistan in developing the survey methodology, conducting it, and subsequently analyzing the results. The data obtained will be of great importance for developing evidence-based policies and programs aimed at promoting sustainable development in the country and utilizing the current projected working-age population as a demographic dividend.
Professor Dr. İsmet Koç is a demographer with over 30 years of experience in demographic research and large-scale demographic surveys. He is a professor and director of the Institute of Population Studies at Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey. Dr. Koç has deep knowledge in developing, managing, implementing, and analyzing comprehensive population surveys, as evidenced by his long-standing role as a regional coordinator in numerous cycles of the Turkish Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS). He also has international experience, including conducting training on demographic analysis in Ashgabat in 2002.
