COVID-19: OSCE provides personal protective equipment to penal colonies for women and youth in Uzbekistan

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan delivered personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Main Directorate for Execution of Sentence of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on 10 April 2020 in Tashkent.

The PPE is destined for use in penal colonies for women and minors, for the benefit of both inmates and staff of these institutions, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The delivery included protective clothing, medical masks, gloves and bandages. It also included a help kit consisting of personal hygiene products, detergents and antibacterial agents. This delivery was made possible due to the cross-dimensional work of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan in responding to COVID-19.

With the handover of the PPE, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan helped the Government of Uzbekistan in its efforts to deal with the pandemic by preventing the spread of the disease among the penal colony population and providing protection for its staff.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, John MacGregor, said: “The coronavirus represents a transnational threat extending across the OSCE area and around the world, and is one of the worst threats most of us have seen in our lifetime. The impact of COVID-19 has created a humanitarian crisis and also affects many aspects of the OSCE’s cross-dimensional approach to security. With the donation of personal protective equipment to the women’s and juvenile facilities of the penitentiary service, a very vulnerable group, the OSCE is demonstrating that people come first and that their health, safety and security is a top priority.”