The countries of the Caspian region are facing severe public health challenges posed by the spread of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Effectively addressing these challenges requires a holistic approach and strong cooperation both within the region and with global partners. The Caspian Policy Center, in coordination with the Embassies of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan, will bring together ministerial-level public health representatives as well as senior representatives of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and foreign policy specialists to discuss the situation in the region. Specific topics will include sharing experiences and best practices in containing the pandemic, facilitating an effective health policy response, and opportunities and need for bolstering regional and broader international cooperation.

09:00 – 9:05   Welcome remarks – Efgan Nifti, Executive Director, Caspian Policy Center

09:05 – 10:25   Panel discussion

  Moderator:

• Ambassador (ret.) Jimmy Kolker, former Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Deputy Global AIDS Coordinator

  Panelists:

• Mitchell Wolfe, Chief Medical Officer, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Daniel Singer, Regional Director for Central Asia, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Charles Vitek, White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator & Principal Deputy Director, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Wahid Majrooh, Deputy Minister of Public Health, Afghanistan
• Viktor Gasimov, Deputy Minister of Healthcare, Azerbaijan
• Zaur Aliyev, Chairman of the Board of the State Agency for Mandatory Health Insurance, Azerbaijan
• Tamar Gabunia, First Deputy Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labor, Health and Social Affairs, Georgia
• Emine Alp Mese, Deputy Minister of Health, Turkey
• Bakhodir Yusupaliev, First Deputy Minister of Health, Uzbekistan
• Senior Ministerial Representatives for Healthcare from Kazakhstan and Turkey

10:25 – 10:30   Closing remarks