The website of the US Embassy in Ashgabat reported on 1 June, 2020 that the United States Government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had committed an additional $500,000 to support Turkmenistan’s COVID-19 prevention efforts, bringing the total U.S.
The additional funding will be provided to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Turkmenistan to improve risk communication and infection prevention and control efforts.
Through UNICEF, USAID will continue working with the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry and the Ministry of Education to promote proper hygiene practices and provide additional supplies for the prevention of COVID-19 in schools and other facilities.
UNICEF will also deliver tailored training for frontline workers in healthcare facilities to prevent and control infectious diseases.
The Embassy reminds that Turkmenistan has not announced any confirmed cases of COVID-19 within its borders but has implemented measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and prepare for potential confirmed cases in the future.
USAID will support campaigns to inform children, families, and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers on hygiene and the importance of handwashing to prevent COVID-19 and acute respiratory infections.
The Embassy has reiterated that “over the past 20 years, the United States has partnered closely with the Government of Turkmenistan and local partners to implement bilateral and regional programs totaling more than $207 million, including over $21 million in health programs”.
It should be pointed that that when the Embassy of the US reported the amounts of allocated funding on 6 April, 2020, the Public Affairs Office of Turkmenistan’s Foreign Ministry refuted this information and declared it was “untrue” by highlighting that economic cooperation between the two countries is based on principles of mutual benefit and equal partnership.