On September 21, the signing ceremony of a joint program with the UN was held: "Raising awareness and engaging youth to mitigate the multidimensional risks and threats associated with the global pandemic," the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan reports .
From the Turkmen side, the document was signed by Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov , from the UN side - the permanent coordinator of the organization in Turkmenistan Dmitry Shlapachenko .
This project is aimed at strengthening the capacity of government officials at the local level, as well as implementing the Socio-Economic Response Plan in localities .
This program also targets youth in selected regions to increase their resilience and enable them to contribute to the development of local communities.
On the same day, UNDP in Turkmenistan signed an Agreement with the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry on the implementation of the COVID-19 Response Project, funded by the World Bank.
According to the organization's website , the $ 20 million project will host events to strengthen preparedness and response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project will focus on strengthening national testing and treatment capacity, improving the skills of health workers, purchasing reagents, drugs and medical equipment, and addressing social and health risks associated with the pandemic. The project will support the implementation of digital solutions for the control of infectious diseases.
As previously reported, in 2020, Turkmenistan and the UN prepared a Preparedness and Response Plan for Acute Infectious Diseases, as well as an Urgent Action Plan for the socio-economic response to the pandemic of acute infectious diseases.
The government spent over $ 46 million on the first in 2020, with the UN and development partners providing $ 2.5 million. For the second, the government, the UN and international financial institutions have allocated $ 28.8 million.
At the end of August, the epidemiological situation in Turkmenistan deteriorated sharply. Hospitals are overcrowded, cemeteries do not have time to dig graves to bury people, and prices for antiviral drugs have risen many times over. At the same time, the government of Turkmenistan continues to claim that no cases of coronavirus infection have been detected in the country.
In connection with this situation, on the eve of the Turkmen human rights organizations published a joint appeal to WHO with a request to clarify the position of the organization on this issue.
Source: Chronicles of Turkmenistan