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UN to implement program on Aral Sea improvement

Uzbekistan Materials 14 July 2012 14:26 (UTC +04:00)
UN and the Uzbek government will carry out a joint program to ensure the vital activity of the population affected by the Aral Sea crisis, the organization said on Friday.
UN to implement program on Aral Sea improvement

Uzbekistan, Tashkent, July 13 / Trend D. Azizov /

UN and the Uzbek government will carry out a joint program to ensure the vital activity of the population affected by the Aral Sea crisis, the organization said on Friday.

The joint program aims at improving the welfare of the population by improving health care and infrastructure development. Five UN agencies in Uzbekistan, including UNDP, UNESCO, the World Health Organization, United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) and UN Volunteers (UNV) will participate in the program implementation.

The program ensures support to local communities to improve their access to basic socially important infrastructure, including clean water and gas.

The program will assist in creating new sources of income for entrepreneurs and farmers by introducing advanced agricultural and pasture management practice, as well as planting new crops and trees. Moreover, the program will support women and youth entrepreneurship by developing local handicrafts and tourist areas.

The joint program is also aimed at improving health care by improving knowledge and skills in the field of reproductive health, increasing awareness about infectious diseases, family planning and HIV / AIDS.

It is planned to strengthen the potential of regional and district authorities to ensure the successful development and implementation of policy in economic, environmental security and social policy aimed at improving the welfare of vulnerable groups.

According to the representative office, the UN Trust Fund for Human Security allocated $ 3.8 million to implement the program.

Earlier, the Aral Sea was the fourth largest lake in the world. It became shallow and does not exceed 30 percent of its former size, which had catastrophic impacted on the economy, social services and livelihood in the region.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called the Aral Sea as one of the worst environmental disasters in the world during his visit to the region in 2010.

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