DUSHANBE, 1 July, 2020 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Tajikistan has handed over high-level disinfectants to the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population to address immediate shortages for combatting COVID-19 in Tajikistan and support the authorities in their response to the pandemic.

Eight tons of highly concentrated chlorine powder and antiseptic liquid worth 46,000 US dollars will be distributed among Dushanbe healthcare facilities to protect frontline medical workers and patients from contracting COVID-19 and spreading it further outside medical facilities as well to ensure better preparedness to risks associated with the global COVID_19 pandemic.

The consignment of disinfectants, funded by Coca Cola Foundation Global Disaster Relief Fund, is a part of UNDP’s COVID-19 response implemented in partnership with the Government, UN, civil society and private sector to provide protective gear and other necessary equipment to support COVID-19 disaster relief efforts and respond to threats of the pandemic in Tajikistan.

Last month UNDP has provided information communication technology to Health Ministry to modernize the information coordination center to optimize date exchange and knowledge sharing between Dushanbe and all regions of the country.

The funding for the supplies is a part of the 2.7 million US dollars the agency has pledged earlier for COVID-19 response in Tajikistan and is in line with country’s COVID19 preparedness and response efforts aimed at reducing the potential impacts of the pandemic on population at risk in Tajikistan.

For additional information, please contact:

Rukhshona Nazhmidinova, UNDP Communications Analyst in Tajikistan, e-mail: rukhshona.nazhmidinova@undp.org