On January 22, Chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs Rovshan Rzayev received Ms. Olga Avdeyeva, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Manager of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. 

The guests were informed in detail about the difficulties faced by our country regarding the displacement of over 1 million 200 thousands of Azerbaijanis from their homeland as a result of the continuing Armenian occupation policy, refugee and IDP problem, the purposeful measures taken by our government to eliminate them, as well as support of international organizations. It was noted that the President Ilham Aliyev had identified the issue of addressing the refugees and IDPs as one of the priorities of social policy, particular attention is paid on improving their living conditions and increasing employment. The First Vice President Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva treats the issue of addressing all problems of the citizens from this category in a careful and sensitive way.

It was stated that necessary work is being done to protect the health of refugees and IDPs and meet their demand for quality medical services. Temporary camps consisting of tents and rail cars in which the infectious diseases were widespread back then have long been removed. There are medical centers and pharmacies in settlements built for IDPs. The State Committee organizes medical actions for IDPs together with the Ministry of Health.

However, the support of international organizations can also play an important role in implementation of more effective and comprehensive measures. In this regard, it would be reasonable to consider the current situation of refugees and IDPs in the projects implemented by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in our country. It was underlined that the State Committee is also ready to support the Fund`s activities in this field.

Thanking for the warm welcome, Ms. Olga Avdeyeva informed about the goals and objectives of the Global Fund, the directions specified for the forthcoming period, and the work planned to be done. She stated that the Global Fund was established in 2002 to fight tuberculosis and malaria, as well as diseases preventable with vaccines, operates in 140 countries, including Azerbaijan, fights three infectious diseases and builds a robust and sustainable healthcare system. The Fund allocates 4 billion $ a year to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, it saved the lives of 27 million people since its establishment.    

Noting that the Fund attaches particular importance to relations with Azerbaijan, O.Avdeyeva emphasized that our country is one of the important donors of this international organization. She noted that the Azerbaijani government makes significant contributions to the Fund`s activities. Deep gratitude was expressed to the Azerbaijani government and the President for such an important contribution to the protection of humanity health. It was also informed that over 17 million $ was allocated to Azerbaijan for establishment of robust and sustainable systems to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria (RSSH) in accordance with the Global Fund Management Board`s decision on financing for 2020-2022. 

Other issues of mutual interest were discussed at the meeting.