The Uzbekistan Vision 2030 Fund, also known as the “Ishonch” Fund, announced the distribution of $43.5 million to support a new UN program aimed at significantly reducing preventable maternal and newborn deaths in Uzbekistan, the official website of the UN office in the republic reports.

One of the key goals of the new program is to increase the survival rate of children with low birth weight from the current 75% to 90%.

It should be recalled that the Uzbekistan Vision 2030 multi-partner trust fund was created to return to Uzbekistan Gulnara Karimova’s illegally acquired assets worth $131 million (approximately 1.4 trillion soums), confiscated during criminal proceedings in Switzerland.

It is noted that the Uzbekistan Vision 2030 Fund, administered by a UN multi-partner trust fund, will support principled, transparent and effective asset recovery through programs aimed at accelerating the implementation of the government of Uzbekistan’s national reform program and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

“The contribution to the Fund, received as a result of the restitution agreement between Uzbekistan and Switzerland, will make it possible to achieve concrete progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and will directly improve the lives of citizens of Uzbekistan. This UN program will cover 600 thousand women and newborns for thirty months throughout the country,” UN Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan Consuelo Vidal-Bruce said.

The new UN program will be jointly implemented by three agencies UNICEF, UNFPA and WHO.