Cooperation partners have donated personal protective equipment to the Emergencies Committee under the Government of Tajikistan.
A ceremony of handover of the personal protective equipment to the Emergencies Committee took place in Dushanbe on March 20, Ms. Umeda Yusufi, a spokeswoman for the Emergencies Committee, told Asia-Plus in an interview.
According to her, the cooperation partners provided the personal protective equipment to Tajik rescuers “in the framework of further implementation of bilateral cooperation between the Emergencies Committee and the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in preparation for any potential spread of the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19.”
The donated personal protective equipment includes masks, disposable gloves, antibacterial soaps and ointments.
“The Committee thanks our partners for collaboration and considers the provided assistance timely and invaluable. Our joint consolidation and efforts to prevent the spreading of COVID-19 in Tajikistan will definitely resolve the problem,” Emergencies Committee head Rustam Nazarzoda said.
Similar assistance will be provided to the emergency management agency of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) as well.
The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH), which merges the capabilities of Focus Humanitarian Assistance, the Aga Khan Planning and Building Services, and the Aga Khan Development Network’s Disaster Risk Management Initiative, focuses on preparing for both sudden and slow-onset disasters. AKAH works to ensure that poor people live in physical settings that are as safe as possible from the effects of natural disasters; that residents who do live in high-risk areas are able to cope with disasters in terms of preparedness and response; and that these settings provide access to social and financial services that lead to greater opportunity and a better quality of life. Initially, priority areas of AKAH will include Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and India.
Within its Cooperation Strategy for 2017-2021, Switzerland focuses on the four sectors in Tajikistan: 1) Water, Infrastructure and Climate Change; 2) Health; 3) Governance, Institutions and Decentralization; and 4) Employment and Economic Development. The overall goal of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Tajikistan is peace and social cohesion as well as responsive and inclusive institutions and sustainable development to improve the population’s well-being.
