Online meeting focuses on increasing awareness about prevention of COVID-19 entry into the country

The UNICEF Representative Office in Turkmenistan jointly with the Country Office of the World Health Organization, organized a media briefing "Overview of the current situation in countering the coronavirus pandemic".

Interaction with the media is one of the directions of the Country Preparedness and Response Plan to the pandemic adopted this May in accordance with the Resolution of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

The webinar, which opens a series of online forums, was organized with the participation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan in order to familiarize mass media with the most effective methods of promoting information related to the prevention of the coronavirus infection COVID-19 entry into the country and countering its spread.

The first meeting in such a format should initiate an active exchange of information between the expert community and journalists on the prevention of infection in order to convey this information to the public. The date of the briefing was chosen not by accident: the World Hepatitis Day (WHD) takes places every year on 28 July.

The event was attended by the heads and senior officials of the State News Agency of Turkmenistan (TDH), the State Committee on Television, Radio Broadcasting and Cinematography, editorial offices of newspapers and magazines, as well as foreign publications accredited in our country.

Addressing journalists, Head of WHO Country Office, Dr. Paulina Karwowska and Representative for UNICEF in Turkmenistan, Christine Weigand underlined the important role of the media sphere in the context of the global spread of coronavirus and the formation of reliable media content in these conditions that can provide the population with the necessary information on preventive measures and health protection in understandable language.

During the online meeting, the representatives of UN agencies made presentations of reports of WHO and its Regional Office for Europe, summarized new figures and facts on the pandemic, as well as analyzed the experience of Turkmenistan, which is the only country in the region where there are no confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Nevertheless, President of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov prioritized the issues of preventing the entry and spread of this infection. The priority area in this context is coordination at the national level.

WHO representatives focused on the positive experience of Turkmenistan, accumulated during the preparations and organization of the Asian Games-2017, when the mechanisms of interaction of all relevant structures of the country and the UN agencies for communication with the population were well managed.

Today, cooperation between the WHO and UNICEF offices in our country with the local media is aimed at increasing awareness of the population.

Today's briefing was aimed at expanding cooperation in this area, therefore, it included an exchange of views, proposals and thoughts on how to use the potential and influence of mass media to further ensure the safety and protect health of the population of Turkmenistan.