The humanitarian organization is asking countries to ramp up support to combat a second wave of the virus rising out of the most vulnerable countries. Tanzia Haq reports.
The United Nations announced last week that it needs nearly $7 billion in funding to provide humanitarian assistance to pandemic affected people. The organization’s humanitarian branch reported that only about half of the initial $2 billion requested emergency fund has reached them.
The budget estimation is to cover the cost of providing relief to the world’s most fragile countries and bolster the efforts to stop the spread of the virus. The Global Humanitarian Response Plan launched on 7 May 2020 outlines a response to aid the most vulnerable to the pandemic: old people, people with disabilities and women and children. The WHO also warned that governments lifting quarantines too soon risk further infection.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the WHO has said: “The risk of returning to lockdown remains very real if countries do not manage the transition extremely carefully and in a phased approach.”
The coronavirus has impacted almost every country with over 3.6 million cases reported worldwide, resulting in economic hits across the globe that will take years to recover from.
The $7 billion fund will be to implement deliberate action to cushion the blows of the pandemic in 63 low and middle-income countries. These countries stand the risk of spreading the second wave of infection as their testing and healthcare preparedness systems are weak.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres also urged donors in a video message to increase their support to stop a second wave from breaking out. “Humanitarian aid is not just a moral imperative; it is a practical necessity to combat the virus,” he said.
