The development of domestic consumer markets and the provision of technical assistance to enterprises and institutions is now the responsibility of local administrative structures. Turkmenistan is presently going through a process of transition, of which some of the attributes attributed to human development are described in the Report. At the same time, within Turkmenistan, there has been a steady process of rural emigration. Despite its ethnic diversity, the Report affirms the political stabilization policy of the President, and the important role of ethnic unity. Considerable priority has been given to providing equitable treatment to women.
D candidates are women.
The Economic Transition Turkmenistan has suffered greatly from the transition from strong dependence on the former Soviet Union, to one where free market forces and the use of international prices have determined trade flows. This has meant in particular that the production of the country's major resource of natural gas has greatly suffered because of the monetary insolvency of CIS countries, and thus their inability to pay for gas imports. Notwithstanding this trend, the Report states that stable rates of economic growth are being preserved, and shows a graph indicating that GNP has risen from a base rate of 100 in 1990 to 130 in 1993. To facilitate the transition to a market economy, the Government has carried out a substantial programme of legislative reform relating to ownership, enterprises, taxation, financing etc, which accelerated the process of privatizing state enterprises in every sector. The transition has also required a change in employment policy and practice, whereby former low levels of unemployment have increased markedly due to the exposure of industries to market forces.