The commitment of WHO donors is fuelling the fight against COVID-19 all over the world.
The occupied Palestinian territory has just received its largest COVAX vaccine shipment, and migrant workers in Thailand are getting their doses. Six genomic sequencing machines have arrived in the Islamic Republic of Iran to detect virus variants, Venezuela is unpacking a new shipment of vaccines, and amid a civil war, vaccination centres are still operating in Yemen.
Much of WHO’s initial response to COVID-19 was made possible by contributions to the Solidarity Response Fund. The Fund, launched in March 2020, has been the only way for individuals, corporations, foundations, and other organizations around the world to directly support the work of WHO to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fund was powered by the United Nations Foundation and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation in its first year, and the WHO Foundation in its second. An independent evaluation of the Fund recently concluded that it has been highly relevant, effective and efficient.
“People, companies and organizations around the world stepped up in such an urgent way, motivated by solidarity and common cause,” said United Nations Foundation President and CEO Elizabeth Cousens. “The Fund’s resources went where WHO needed them most, when WHO needed them most – saving countless lives. Everyone who contributed to the Fund should feel enormous pride in that impact.”
Read on for details of these stories.
The occupied Palestinian territory receives its largest COVAX shipment
The shipment of some 453 600 doses of the Moderna vaccine is destined for the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Germany and Italy funded the COVAX consignment, which is one in a series intending to cover 20% of the population, about 1 million people.
Vaccination outreach serves migrant workers in Thailand
WHO and partners came to the aid of about 100 migrant workers from Cambodia, Myanmar and Viet Nam after the Bangkok market where they worked was closed because of an outbreak of COVID-19.
The workers received vaccinations at a local church, along with information on how to protect themselves from the virus.
Amid civil war, WHO and partners provide infectious disease centres in Yemen
Distributed throughout the country, the infectious disease centres are tackling COVID-19 and providing other health services. The centres are acutely important in Yemen, where less than half of local health facilities are fully functional and the
number of people in need of services has increased dramatically. Support for the centres comes from WHO and King Salman Humanitarian Relief Centre.
“I spent 10 days fighting COVID-19 at home, in bed. I was suffering pain in my ribs, stomach, and back, and was struggling to breathe,” said patient Mohammed Ahmed Manasar Abdurabouh, 60. “Finally, after I was transferred to a treatment centre, I recovered and got my life back.”
Advanced technology will help identify variants in the Islamic Republic of Iran
The six sets of advanced genomic sequencing equipment will be installed at three health facilities, giving the country a boost in its diagnostic capacity. The equipment can identify variants and strains of different microbes, including the SARS-COV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. The donation was made possible by financial support from Germany.
Venezuela welcomes a new batch of vaccines via COVAX
The 3.1 million doses of Sinopharm vaccine arrived on 4 January. Venezuela, a self-financing participant in the COVAX facility, has received about 9 million doses so far. As of December, 40% of the country’s population was fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 64% had received at least one dose.
WHO's Solidarity Response Fund is deemed "highly effective" in the fight against COVID-19
Donors found an effective, streamlined way to contribute to WHO’s COVID-19 response when the Solidarity Response Fund was set up in the early days of the pandemic.
A new evaluation concludes that the Fund has been a highly relevant, effective and efficient mechanism, and recommends that it serve as a “playbook” for future emergencies.
Between March 2020 and June 2021, the Fund raised more than US$ 256 million from nearly 700 000 people and 150 organizations in more than 190 countries—money that bolstered all aspects of WHO’s pandemic response, from supply chains to health systems to vaccines, tests and treatments.
The evaluation noted that the “(Solidarity Response Fund) provided robust evidence for … the benefits to securing flexible financing driven by demand rather than ‘earmarked’ funding around specific themes and geographic contexts when trying to mobilize resources.”
The evaluation was prepared by the UK-based International Organisation Development Ltd. for the UN Foundation and WHO. It was issued on 16 December 2021.
* * *
Partners and donors recognized in this feature include Germany, Italy, King Salman Humanitarian Relief Centre, St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Bangkok, Thai Red Cross and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
WHO thanks
all governments,
organizations and individuals contributing to the COVID-19 response around the world since the beginning of the outbreak, and in particular those who have provided fully flexible contributions, to ensure a comprehensive fight against the
disease.
* * *
Member States and other governments since 2021:
Australia, Belgium, Canada, Comoros, Denmark, Egypt, France,
Germany, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait, Lesotho, Malta, Mauritania, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway,
Philippines, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States of America.
Other partners since 2021:
African Development Bank Group, African Reinsurance Corporation, Alma Jean Henry Charitable Trust, Ancash, Asian Development Bank, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE), China Medical Board, COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, European Commission (ECHO, NEAR, DG-INTPA), Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), Fundacion MAPFRE, FYT, Gavi-The Vaccine Alliance, International Development Association (IDA), International Organization for Migration (IOM), Islamic Development Bank (IDB), King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief), Kuwait Fund for Development, National Philanthropic Trust (NPT), Rockefeller Foundation, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Sony, Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, Task Force for Global Health (TFGH), The UN Resident Coordinator Office (UNRCO), International Drug Purchasing Facility (UNITAID), United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA), United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Veolia Environment Foundation, Vital Strategies, WHO Foundation, World Bank.