News

UNHCR supplies the Committee of Emergency Situations with Prefabricated Housing Units

Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 14 February, 2019. On February the 14th, the Representation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) conducted an official handover of 17 prefabricated housing units (PHUs) to the Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense under the Government of Tajikistan (CoES). The official ceremony was conducted at the CoES’s Training Center in Dushanbe.

Such housing units are used by UNHCR and its partners all over the world, primarily during emergency situations. Robust and waterproof, each PHU provides 17.5 square metres of living space with adequate privacy parameters. In addition, the PHUs are spacious and have windows to allow for ventilation, as well as LED lamp and solar panel chargers that can be used to recharge electronic devices including mobile phones. Each PHU is easy and quick to construct and can be assembled by a team of 4 people in few hours.   

The UNHCR and CoES work closely on emergency preparedness, including contingency planning for responding to refugee influx. They also conduct a range of training and exercises bilaterally and in partnership with other government organisations, UN agencies and NGOs.

Following this donation, the PHUs can be utilised by CoES while reacting to any kind of disaster and emergency situation in Tajikistan. Beyond their primary use as emergency shelter, PHUs can be readily utilised as forward coordination centres, temporary first aid centres, accommodation for field personnel, education centres or even storage.

Commenting on the donation of PHUs to CoES, Mr. Vito Trani, UNHCR Representative in Tajikistan expressed, “We see the provision of these housing units to CoES as another step forward in the long history of close cooperation between our organisations. We hope that the introduction of PHUs can strengthen their operational capacity, provide comfort to affected population and help save lives”.

Lt. General Rustam Nazarzoda, Chairman of CoES stated that, “I am sure that the existing close and fruitful cooperation between CoES and UNHCR will become even stronger and move forward for the good of affected people of Tajikistan. There is no doubt that the assistance provided today will be directed towards saving what is most valuable – human lives”.

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For further information please contact: 

Ms. Nodira Akbaralieva, Public Information Focal point at UNHCR in Tajikistan. Email: AKBARALI@unhcr.org