United Nations to provide one million dollars to back Moldova in response to COVID-19 crisis

Chisinau, 21 May /MOLDPRES/ - Three agencies of the United Nations in Moldova: United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) will receive one million dollars from the United Nations (UN) COVID-19 Response and Recovery Multi-Partner Trust Fund, in order to support Moldova in the fight against the pandemic and strengthen the country’s capacity to cope with crisis situations.   

During six months, the UN agencies involved in the project will orient their efforts to supply the COVID-19 patients from Moldova with efficient and accessible health services, focusing on vulnerable and disadvantaged people.  

The activities planned within the project provide for the purchasing of individual protection equipment for the first-line employees from the health sector and the ones such as police, border police, penitentiaries, social assistance centres, etc., in order to ensure the delivery of efficient and safe public services, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, the most vulnerable groups of people, including the women hit by violence, women living in shelters, HIV positive women and with disabilities, as well as the women belonging to the Romany ethnic minority will be provided with essential and protection products: disinfectant, hygiene products, food products (for at least two months), etc. More than five shelters for gender-based violence victims and five civil society organizations will receive assistance.     

The COVID-19 pandemic affects the health and well-being of Moldovan citizens. Within this project, decision-makers will also consolidate the capacities of the border police to manage and control the infection at the entrance points in Moldova through: re-updating and dissemination of standard procedures of operation complying with the international standards on the detection, notification, isolation, management and providing recommendations necessary for travellers, delivery of more trainings for border police officers, supply with needed equipment for scanning citizens, in order to prevent the spread of the infection.   

The United Nations in Moldova supported Moldova’s government, Health, Labour and Social Protection Ministry, as well as other first-line institutions of fight in the response to COVID-19, in three sectors: preparing the health system, technical backing and strengthening the capacities, as well as the support of the crisis communication as to COVID-19 under the guidance of the World Health Organization’s Office in Moldova. The project from Moldova is backed by the governments of Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland.