UNICEF plans to take the lead within the new interagency group that will work to improve the social protection of vulnerable children in primary education institutions.

The agency will also draw from the results of “Child-Friendly Schools” project piloted earlier and will continue assisting the Government in implementation of early child development policies, improvement of preschool education services, and promotion of good care practices for children within the family and community, he said.

Additionally, UNICEF plans to organize in-service trainings for 17,000 healthcare professionals from 6 regions where they will be able to gain skills and knowledge on new maternal and child healthcare techniques and will also support curricula development for medical schools. This initiative will be carried out jointly with the Uzbek Ministry of Health and 6 universities around the country, Jean-Michel Delmotte added.