At the end of November 2020, the Steering Committee of the UN Multi-Partner Human Security Trust Fund for the Aral Sea Region approved funding for three new projects amounting to more than USD 6 million within the Second Call for Proposals addressing such priority areas as Youth, Innovation and Health Security.

Prior to the selection decision, the proposals were thoroughly assessed by the Technical Review Panel. The experts include government officials, UN staff, an independent expert, and a member of the MPHSTF Technical Secretariat official. The results of the assessment indicated that project proposals met the requirements of the Trust Fund and have been approved accordingly.

The first project on “Investing in a resilient future of Karakalpakstan by harnessing the talents of youth and improving water, sanitation, hygiene and nutrition during and after COVID-19” will be carried out jointly by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The project will improve the health and nutrition needs of the vulnerable populations, including 5,000 children and adolescents. Ten thousand girls aged 10-17 years will be provided with micronutrient supplements. Health facilities in 15 schools will be improved in three districts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, in Muynak, Kungrad, and Bozatau. Annually, the project will reach more than 181,200 people, thereby improving access to quality health care services. Particularly, 20 primary health care facilities will improve their WASH (access to water, sanitary and hygiene facilities) infrastructure. Furthermore, 520 young people will be empowered through skills-building programmes and engaged in life of their communities.

The second approved project called “Unleashing young people’s and vulnerable citizens’ creativity and innovation by strengthening their adaptive capacity to address the economic and food insecurities in the exposed communities of the Aral Sea region” will be implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The programme will cover over 1,472 rural youth and women. Specifically, start-up projects will be promoted among students with estimated 120 people benefiting from business initiatives and start-up projects. Moreover, the programme will enhance the capacity of 300 women and youth on applying new agricultural practices, create job opportunities for 75 young people through establishing agricultural cooperatives and nine demonstration plots. Finally, 120 students and 300 young people will improve their information and communications technology (ICT) capacity through digitalization initiatives, platforms, and social infrastructure projects.

The last selected project, “Towards universal health coverage and security in Karakalpakstan (UHC+S),” will be delivered jointly by the WHO and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The project will assess the health needs of the population of Muynak district to inform future investment in health facilities, medical equipment, and health workforce capacity. These health sector investments will consider the broader human security dimension of the region, including water, energy, and road infrastructure.  

The Governments of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the European Union, Finland, Norway, and the Republic of Korea are the generous donors to the Multi-Partner Human Security Trust Fund for the Aral Sea Region in Uzbekistan.

The Participating United Nations Organizations (PUNOs) include UNICEF, UNODC, UNFPA, UNDP, FAO, and the WHO will be implementing projects in the Aral Sea Region from 2020 to 2023.

Originally published on www.aral.mptf.uz