EU and UNOPS handed over 380.000 items of personal protective equipment from COVID-19 to National Police of Ukraine

On 16 July 2020, the European Union together with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) provided to the National Police of Ukraine high-performance personal protective equipment, including more than 150,000 respirators, 170,000 medical masks and 60.000 protective overalls. The supplies are worth more than EUR 500,000 and were delivered through the project "Support for Rule of Law Reforms in Ukraine in the Areas of Police, Public Prosecution and Good Governance (PRAVO Police)" implemented by UNOPS in close coordination with the European Union Advisory Mission (EUAM). This protective equipment will help officers to stay safe while performing their duties amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ukrainian police officers and first responders are on the front line keeping the public safe. Protective measures like physical distancing are not always an option for these professionals, leaving them at a higher risk of contracting and spreading the novel coronavirus as they perform their critical jobs.

The EU Ambassador Matti Maasikas noted: “We are providing this personal protection equipment to the Ukrainian policewomen and policemen so that they could be safe when doing their daily work in service of the citizen.” He added: “This delivery will significantly improve National Police’s capacity to work in times of the pandemic.”

“We would like to thank our partners who are delivering the first batch of the planned support items today, including respirators, masks and protective overalls. The officers of the National Police of Ukraine are enforcing quarantine measures across the country on a daily basis as well as performing other policing functions, and we are glad to be able to ensure they are well-protected.”- noted Oleksandr Fatsevych, Deputy Head of the National Police of Ukraine

“We are proud to be a trusted partner of the European Union and the Government of Ukraine during these challenging times to deliver personal protective equipment to the Ukrainian police officers who are working on the frontlines, ensuring public order and safety,” said Irina Sahakyan Vetter, UNOPS Director in Ukraine.

There is a shortage of personal protective equipment for law-enforcement officers who are in constant danger of being exposed to COVID-19. To bridge this gap, PRAVO Police in close coordination with the EU Delegation to Ukraine, the EUAM, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the National Police of Ukraine organised the procurement of Personal Protective Equipment that will help law-enforcement officers to stay safe while performing their duties.

Background information:

The Support for Rule of Law Reforms in Ukraine in the areas of Police, Public Prosecution and Good Governance (PRAVO Police) project is funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in coordination with the EU Advisory Mission (EUAM). The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the reform of the Rule of Law system in Ukraine and to align its functioning with the best European Union and International practices.

PRAVO Police assists the National Police and the Ministry of Internal Affairs in reforming public order management and criminal investigation systems, modernising pre-trial investigation frameworks aimed at combating cybercrime and serious and organised crime, introducing community and intelligence-led policing models, establishing an effective witness protection system, enhancing  police collaboration with the Interpol and Europol, and enhancing its professional development and training system.

http://www.pravopolice.org/

For additional information, please contact Yevgeniy Zelenko at yevgeniyz@unops.org or 095-276-1406