Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- UNICEF, together with the Ministry for Support of Mahalla and Family, calls for interdepartmental cooperation to ensure the reintegration of children leaving closed institutions and children repatriated from zones of armed conflict.

This call was voiced during the roundtable "Support and reintegration of children returning from armed conflict, children of migrants and children leaving specialized educational institutions after COVID-19", during which partners discussed social protection measures to strengthen reintegration of vulnerable groups of children and families.

The key issue of discussion was the implementation of a joint project funded by the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund for COVID-19 Response and Recovery. It aims to provide support in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on hundreds of children and young people leaving specialized educational institutions, as well as repatriated from zones of armed conflict to Uzbekistan.

“Adequate social protection measures are an essential package for successful reintegration. They are essential protection for children and reduce the risks associated with the well-being, development and protection of children leaving closed institutions and repatriated children,” said Geoffrey Ijumba, Deputy Head of UNICEF Country Office in Uzbekistan. “On the other hand, this is clearly a question of collective responsibility, for example, interagency cooperation should apply case management standards, which are an integral part of the work of employees who provide social services to vulnerable groups of families and children,” he said.

During the roundtable, national and international experts also discussed further steps to provide inter-agency support for the adoption and use of case management standards in social work.

“In cooperation with UNICEF, we have achieved good results in the reintegration of children who left specialized educational institutions, as well as those who returned from zones of armed conflict. This cooperation helps us to develop individual reintegration plans for each child, improve methodological skills for providing social assistance to these children and their families,” said Gulnara Marufova, First Deputy Minister for Support of Mahalla and Family. “We will continue our work to help every woman, every child live happily in a peaceful and prosperous country,” she said.