On Tuesday April 14, Zavqi Zavqizoda, Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Tajikistan and Yusuf Majidi, Deputy Minister of Finance of Tajikistan met here with Ms. Marilyn Josefson, Ambassador, Head of EU Delegation to Tajikistan, according to the press center of the Ministry of Economic development and Trade (MoEDT).
During the meeting, Zavqizoda reportedly mentioned “a letter of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon to the President of the EU Commission regarding providing financial and technical support to mitigate socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Ambassador Josefson announced the mobilization of an additional 48 million euros of EU funding to support Tajikistan in its comprehensive COVID-19 response.
According to press release issued by the EU delegation to Tajikistan, the areas of support include both an immediate emergency response as well as a top-up of funding in critical areas where the EU is already providing substantive support as part of its ongoing medium to long-term program, to mitigate the socio-economic impacts. For instance, strengthening the health and education sectors, strengthening the resilience of SME’s in the agricultural sector, improving employability of youth, and improving the use of water with an additional focus on sanitation systems.
As part of the immediate emergency support, the EU will provide personal protection equipment to ensure effective infection prevention and control to 25 hospitals and health facilities (EUR 1.3 million); and sanitizers, gloves and masks for the Tajik border guards (EUR 10,000); as well as antiseptic liquids to be delivered to schools (EUR 40,000); and the printing of 3000 posters of COVID-19 prevention communications materials.
Ambassador Josefson reportedly stated that “to be successful in tackling the coronavirus pandemic a coordinated global response that effectively addresses all aspects of the pandemic is required. The European Union is committed to working closely with all our partners worldwide and to provide effective support. To this end, the European Union Delegation in Tajikistan will make additional funding immediately available to support the preparedness of the health sector; as well as to provide personal protection equipment through BOMCA to the Tajik border guards and food safety experts who work on the front line to ensure that key commodities are continuously processed through the country’s borders. The EU longer-term support will also as a matter of priority aim to mitigate the social and economic impact of the pandemic, which may be particularly hard on the most vulnerable groups of society.”
Meanwhile, the MoEDT press center informed that at a meeting with Minister Zavqi Zavqizoda, Ambassador Josefson had pledged that the European Union would extend a 30-million-euro loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to fund the implementation of the Tajikistan government’s anti-crisis plan. The money will go to such sectors as education, public health, border reinforcement, water supplies and sanitary facilities, as well as to avert economic and social impact of the pandemic.
