ADB-financed COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Tajikistan

DUSHANBE, TAJIKISTAN, 6 December 2021. The first batch of 546,000 doses of lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines have arrived in Tajikistan today, following an Asian Development Bank (ADB) grant approved earlier this year. Later this month, additional doses of the vaccine will arrive for a total of 3,345,600 doses. The Sinovac vaccines were delivered by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) through the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Advance Market Commitment (COVAX AMC) facility.

“ADB’s vaccine support is an integral part of the development partner package helping the Government of Tajikistan implement its COVID-19 vaccination program,” said ADB Country Director for Tajikistan Shanny Campbell. “ADB reaffirms its full commitment to help the country overcome this challenging time and achieve a sustainable economic recovery.”

The $25 million ADB grant approved in June 2021 finances the procurement of vaccines with safety boxes and syringes, logistics to transport them to national, regional, and district health facilities around the country, and capacity-building for staff at the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population to strengthen the vaccination program and conduct gender- and age-sensitive outreach and training. ADB has partnered with UNICEF which is leading the global vaccine supply operation under the COVAX facility.

“UNICEF and the UN family welcome the donation of the COVID-19 vaccines by ADB via the COVAX facility which has arrived in Tajikistan today,” said Osama Makkawi Khogali, the UNICEF Representative in Tajikistan. “No one is safe unless all of us are safe. The 3,345,600 doses of COVID-19 vaccines donated by ADB will vaccinate over 1,5 million people, representing about 25% of the target population in Tajikistan.”

The ADB vaccine support project builds on ADB’s earlier support for Tajikistan’s COVID-19 response. This includes a $50 million grant approved in June 2020 to help fund the government’s comprehensive response plan and countercyclical measures; a $2.5 million grant from the Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund approved last August to further support the government’s emergency response; and more than $1 million in grants for urgent medical supplies and personal protective equipment for health care staff.

UNICEF is the leading delivery partner of COVAX facility with over 600 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines delivered to 144 countries and territories.

About ADB

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region. Since Tajikistan joined ADB in 1998, the bank has become Tajikistan’s largest multilateral development partner with more than $2.2 billion in assistance, including around $1.7 billion in grants. This has helped develop strategic road and energy infrastructure, promote food security, and strengthen social services.