Tag: international aid

UK donates two million medical items to Ukraine

  • Latest shipment left in flight on Friday morning with thousands of doses of medicines, including pain relief
  • Secretary of State for Health and Social Care affirms UK’s commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine

More than two million items of medical supplies have been given to Ukraine by the UK to help the country cope with the medical emergency caused by the Russian invasion.

Items including vital medicines, wound packs, and intensive care equipment donated by NHS England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have been flown to the region on ten flights over the past three weeks, leaving from Stanstead and Heathrow Airports and RAF Brize Norton.

The latest flight left from London Heathrow yesterday morning (Friday 18th March) carrying thousands of doses of medicine, including painkillers, with another flight – the 11th so far – expected next week.

Following an urgent request from Ukraine a refrigerated truck left for the region on Friday night carrying insulin injections and drugs critical for surgery which will save tens of thousands of Ukrainian lives. This is expected to arrive in the region in the coming days.

The UK government has been working closely with Ukrainian officials to deliver targeted support to ensure medical items are reaching the people who need them most.

Some of the significant items sent to the Ukraine so far includes:

  • Nearly 3,000 adult resuscitators
  • Around 160,000 wound care packs
  • Over 300,000 sterile needles
  • Over 32,000 packs of bandages
  • 1,600 pieces of equipment for ventilators
  • Over 54,000 cannulas
  • 100,000 packs of medicines – around 800,000 doses – including antibiotics and painkillers
  • 72,000 packs of gloves
  • 28,000 FFP3 masks

Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid, said: “We’re leading the humanitarian effort to support Ukraine by providing targeted medical support to those in need. In less than three weeks the UK has donated more than two million medical items.

“Tens of thousands of sick or injured Ukrainians have now received treatment thanks to the donations made by NHS England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

“The UK will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ukraine in the face of Russia’s appalling invasion.”

Today’s milestone of two million medical items donated to Ukraine forms part of the government’s wider humanitarian response to this emergency. Earlier this week the UK government flew 21 children with cancer to the UK, who are now receiving lifesaving treatment from the NHS.

Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, said: “The UK is providing £220 million in life saving humanitarian aid to Ukraine. In addition to medical supplies we are providing shelter and hygiene kits. The UK is also donating over 500 mobile generators to provide vital energy to Ukrainian hospitals and shelters.

“Our humanitarian advisors have been deployed to neighbouring countries to assess needs on the ground and we are supporting those affected by the deteriorating situation in Ukraine.”

On Thursday 17 March the government announced that Ukrainians fleeing their home country will be guaranteed free access to NHS healthcare, including hospital services, GP and nurse consultations, urgent care centres and injury units.

More than 6,100 visas have been granted through the Ukraine Family Scheme and, for those with valid Ukrainian passports, the government has removed the need to attend an in-person appointment to conduct biometric checks before travelling to the UK.

Since Monday 14 March, people in the UK have been able to register their interest to sponsor a named Ukrainian under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, with more than 150,000 people registering.

The government has provided £400 million in humanitarian and economic aid to Ukraine and neighbouring countries since the Russian invasion started, along with defensive anti-tank and anti-aircraft weaponry.

Edinburgh Direct Aid: Arsal issues emergency winter fuel appeal

Amidst fears that hundreds of Syrian refugees and local Lebanese families could face disaster in freezing winter conditions in the mountains near the Syrian border, officials in the town of Arsal have declared a fuel emergency and appealed for urgent outside help to buy heating oil so they can survive the harsh months ahead.

At an altitude where temperatures can drop to minus 15oC, around 70,000 Syrian refugees, most of them living in tents, and 40,000 local Lebanese residents lack fuel for the diesel stoves that could help them through the winter, the worst of which is still to come. 

Around 1400m up in the mountains, Arsal is the highest and most vulnerable of the refugee settlements in Lebanon. 

The perils facing refugees trying to keep warm in the winter were highlighted in early January by the death of a Syrian mother and her three young children, asphyxiated by burning coal in their shelter in a coastal village in south Lebanon – at a much lower altitude than Arsal. 

Many of the refugee families in Arsal have survived previous winters, but this one is different. Because of the Lebanese economic crisis, fuel prices in the collapsing local currency are now something like 20 times higher than they were 12 months before.

And because of budget cuts, the refugee agency UNHCR and other NGOs are only able to provide funding for less than 30% of the needs. 

Each refugee family is left to find around $350 or more to buy the 700 litres of diesel they need to see them through the winter – an impossible sum for them to raise themselves.

Faced with potential disaster, the mayor of Arsal, Basel al-Hujairi, has taken the unusual step of declaring a winter fuel emergency and issuing an appeal, backed by local schools, health centres and NGOs, calling on the international community to step forward to help bridge the drastic funding gap. 

“Please reflect on the consequences of leaving thousands of families in flimsy tents without heating in temperatures far below zero and biting winds,” the appeal said. 

It needs to raise altogether some $5.5m, which would provide winter heating for 8,500 families huddled in tents, 3,000 in housing, and local Lebanese inhabitants in need, as well as schools, health centres and the municipality. 

Issued by Edinburgh Direct Aid (https://edinburghdirectaid.org), a non-profit NGO which is one of the few to maintain a permanent presence in Arsal, running schools, a vocational centre and other projects.

New support to help vulnerable countries tackle Omicron

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has pledged up to £105 million of UK emergency aid to help vulnerable countries tackle the Omicron Covid-19 variant, with a particular focus on Africa.

The vital aid will be delivered through trusted partners and will:

  • Scale-up testing – especially in parts of Africa where testing rates for Covid-19 remain lowest – allowing health systems to track and respond to the spread of the virus more effectively. This is in addition to the UK’s world-leading genomic sequencing support.
  • Improve access to oxygen supplies for ventilators – a surge in demand for oxygen is a significant risk for some countries.
  • Provide communities with hygiene advice, products and access to handwashing facilities and support deep cleaning in schools, health centres and other public places. This will build on the successful global hygiene campaign between UK aid and Unilever which has reached over 1.2 billion people since its launch in 2020.
  • Fund the UK’s ground-breaking science and research into the spread of variants like Omicron to enable innovative evidence-based policy responses in low and middle-income countries.
  • Ready the UK’s own expert emergency teams for deployment overseas to crisis hotspots, including with new medical equipment.

The UK Government has also confirmed today that over 30 million vaccines have been delivered so far as part of the UK’s pledge to donate 100 million doses to the world, benefitting more than 30 countries.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “The UK is providing vital assistance to help tackle the spread of new variants around the world. This is key to securing our freedom and ending this pandemic once and for all.

“I am proud that we have also delivered over 30 million vaccines to benefit our friends around the world this year. The UK is helping other countries most in need. No one is safe until everyone is safe.”

Doses donated by the UK have reached four continents and provided vital protection from Covid-19 in countries including Angola, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Malawi, Nepal, and Rwanda.

Of the more than 30 million doses now donated, 24.6 million have been received by COVAX for delivery to countries and 5.5 million have been shared directly with countries in need including Kenya, Jamaica, and Indonesia.

Millions more vaccines will be sent to other countries in 2022, including 20 million Oxford-AstraZeneca doses and 20 million Janssen doses.

The UK has been at the forefront of the global response to Covid-19. Today’s announcement builds on the £1.3 billion in UK aid committed to the international health response early on in the pandemic, supporting vaccines, health systems and economic recovery in developing countries.

The Government also invested more than £88 million to support the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, and the UK became the first country in the world to approve the jab a year ago today.

Thanks to AstraZeneca’s commitment distribute the vaccine on a non-profit basis, 2.5 billion doses have been used in more than 170 countries, two thirds of which are low- and middle-income countries.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “The global pandemic has challenged health systems around the world and the best way to overcome this awful disease is to unite and stand side by side with our international partners.

“By supporting countries with the UK’s ground breaking science and research into the spread of variants, improving access to oxygen and scaling up testing we will help those most in need chart their course out of the pandemic.

“I am proud that we have already delivered over 30 million vaccines to our friends abroad. The UK, as a global leader, is helping other countries most in need. No one is safe until everyone is safe.”

Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said: “We welcome the UK’s commitment in new funding to protect the most vulnerable, particularly in Africa; the UK’s continued focus on COVAX and equitable global access to COVID19 vaccines, both through early financing commitments made at UNGA 2020, as well as meeting the Prime Minister’s G7 commitment to dose sharing – the 30m target set by the end of 2021.

“We look forward to operationalising the remainder of the UK’s dose sharing commitment via COVAX in 2022, while we also work with the UK Government on continuing to support Gavi’s ambitious 2021- 2025 routine vaccination programmes, of which the United Kingdom is the largest funder through the PM’s commitment made at the UK-hosted Global Vaccine Summit in June 2020.”

Scotland sends supplies to help fight COVID-19 in Africa

Stocks of personal protective equipment (PPE) are to be donated to Africa to aid their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The PPE equipment, worth £11.2 million, will be distributed by Kids Operating Room (KidsOR), a Scottish-based global health charity.

This distribution will be supported by £250,000 from the Scottish Government, which will fund the transport of 25 shipping containers of material to Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia.  

KidsOR raised a further £1 million to support the transport of the PPE from the Wood Foundation, Pula Limited, Postcode Trust and Delta Philanthropies.

The supplies include masks, goggles, and visors and the shipment, made available through the NHS Scotland Global Citizenship Programme, is due to arrive in partner countries in late September.

International Development Minister Jenny Gilruth said: “COVID-19 knows no borders. I am pleased that the Scottish Government has been able to support this assistance to Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia – particularly as they look to plan for an expected fourth wave of COVID-19 in the coming months.

“This contribution builds on our recent supply of oxygen concentrators and ventilators, and we hope it will go some way to easing the current stress on health services.

“As the global pandemic continues, we firmly believe this is precisely the moment that Governments across the world should be stepping up to help those most in need.

“This donation underlines that the Scottish Government remains fully committed to playing our part in tackling the shared global challenge that the pandemic represents. I would like to thank KidsOR for supporting us to make it possible to distribute this PPE equipment along with the recent supply of oxygen concentrators and ventilators.”

Chief Executive of NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) Mary Morgan said: “The battle to beat COVID is truly a global effort. We are pleased that PPE secured by NSS is being donated to help those who need it most in Africa.

“We will continue to work with partners to identify further opportunities to support countries and communities who need our help.”

Co-Founder of KidsOR Garreth Wood said: “I would like to thank our donors for stepping up to help support the distribution of so many millions of items of PPE that will prove vital for countries in Africa battling the ongoing COVID pandemic.”

UK Government launches Operation Warm Welcome

Work is underway across the whole of Government to ensure the Afghans who stood side by side with us in conflict, their families and those at highest risk who have been evacuated, are supported as they now rebuild their lives in the UK.

The plans, dubbed ‘Operation Warm Welcome’, will be overseen by Victoria Atkins (pictured below) as the new Minister for Afghan Resettlement.

The support provided will be similar to the commitments in the Syrian Resettlement Programme and ensure that those who worked closely with the British military and UK Government in Afghanistan, and risked their lives in doing so, get the vital health, education, support into employment and accommodation they need to fully integrate into society.

The UK has a proud history of providing safe haven to those in need and the plans to be set out next week will also harness that generosity of spirit and the offers of support which have already flooded in from charities, businesses and the British public.

This includes the creation of a central portal where people, organisations and businesses can register their offer of support, be it volunteering, a job opportunity, professional skills to help with integration and deal with trauma or donations of items like clothes and toys. Free English language courses will also be provided in recognition that many of the dependents of former staff and Afghan translators may need this.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “For those who have left their homes with no more than a small bag of belongings, and in fear for their lives, coming to the UK will no doubt have been a daunting experience, but also one of hope for the future.

“I am determined that we welcome them with open arms and that my Government puts in place the support they need to rebuild their lives.

“We will never forget the brave sacrifice made by Afghans who chose to work with us, at great risk to themselves. We owe them, and their families, a huge debt.”

Full details will be set out this week and build on the commitments already made.

These include £5 million for local councils to provide housing support, an offer of a vaccine for everyone on arrival and access to rapid mental well-being and trauma support.

That’s more than THREE TIMES the population of Scotland

Joint International Statement on Afghanistan safe passage

We are all committed to ensuring that our citizens, nationals and residents, employees, Afghans who have worked with us and those who are at risk can continue to travel freely to destinations outside Afghanistan.

We have received assurances from the Taliban that all foreign nationals and any Afghan citizen with travel authorization from our countries will be allowed to proceed in a safe and orderly manner to points of departure and travel outside the country.

We will continue issuing travel documentation to designated Afghans, and we have the clear expectation of and commitment from the Taliban that they can travel to our respective countries. We note the public statements of the Taliban confirming this understanding.

The statement was released initially by the governments of the United States of America, Albania, Australia, Belgium, Belize, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Canada, Central African Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, Eswatini, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, North Macedonia, Norway, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Korea, Republic of Kosovo, Romania, Rwanda, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, Spain, St. Kitts and Nevis, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland , The Bahamas, The Gambia, The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Union of the Comoros, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Yemen, and Zambia.

From Scotland with love

Vital equipment on it’s way to fight Covid-19 crisis in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia

A grant of more than £270,000 from the Scottish Government’s International Development Fund will fund the supply of 300 items of vital equipment to treat Covid-19 patients in Africa.

The funding will allow Kids Operating Room, a Scottish-based global health charity, to distribute 100 oxygen concentrators each to Malawi, Rwanda, and Zambia.

Covid-19 cases in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia are rising quickly, with the health system in Zambia especially under severe stress.

One of the biggest impacts of the rise in Covid-19 cases is a shortage of oxygen, and oxygen concentrators are easy to use, are suitable for patients of all ages, and can be used throughout the health service.

External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson said: “The Covid situation in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia has become very serious, very quickly, and we know that the pressure on health services are putting great stress on their infrastructure, especially in relation to the delivery of oxygen to patients.

“This funding for oxygen concentrators will go some way to help ease the current stress on the health services in our three African partner countries, and we are delighted to work with Kids Operating Room to make sure this vital equipment is put to use as soon as possible.

“Scotland remains fully committed to playing our part in tackling shared global challenges, and we are committed to increase the International Development Fund (IDF) by 50% to £15 million.

“As the global pandemic continues, we firmly believe this is not the time to turn our back on the poorest and those in dire need – instead, this is precisely the moment when we should be living up to our core values.”

David Cunningham, the chief executive officer of Kids Operating Room, said: “Our model is to listen to doctors, then give them what they need – right now, the message is coming back loud and clear that what they need is access to more oxygen to fight Covid-19.

“Oxygen concentrators are key pieces of equipment that are needed to meet the region’s critical oxygen shortage. They are suitable for all ages and durable for years to come post-Covid, making them incredibly essential to support the health services in the long-term.”

Kids Operating Room is a Scottish global health charity with bases in Edinburgh, Dundee and Nairobi. It works directly with local surgeons and their teams across Africa and South America to transform hospital spaces into dedicated operating rooms for children’s surgery.

Oxygen concentrators provide a sustainable and cost-effective source of medical oxygen – they draw air from the environment and then concentrate that room oxygen to therapeutic levels for delivery to patients.

The charity will coordinate the distribution of the oxygen equipment.  They will arrange for delivery to doctors in Lusaka, Lilongwe and Kigali, and have the equipment distributed to the most in-demand hospitals.

Scottish aid wings it’s way to India

Scotland is sending life-saving oxygen and ventilation equipment to India as part of a UK-wide effort to support it in its fight against coronavirus (COVID-19).

Following an initial offer of various types of equipment, the Indian High Commission has accepted 100 oxygen concentrators and 40 continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) ventilators.

The Indian Government urgently requires these units as its healthcare system is under extreme pressure. The devices can be used in hospitals, ICU wards or other locations and are ideally suited to treat COVID-19 patients when there are constraints on medical gas infrastructure supply.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The coronavirus situation in India is a human tragedy. We are working with the other UK nations to help tackle the crisis by providing equipment that can be used immediately to save lives.

“Solidarity with other countries remains of key importance throughout this global pandemic and we will continue to make contributions within the international community, while tackling COVID-19 here in Scotland.

“There are a number of ways to donate to the response effort, including the British Asian Trust’s ‘Oxygen for India’ Emergency Appeal, and the Disasters Emergency Committee, which has extended its Coronavirus Appeal to include India.”

https://youtu.be/HSCJNvOIzQI

UK sends further life-saving support to India

  • The UK will send 1,000 more ventilators for use in India’s hospitals
  • The Chief Medical Officer, Chief Scientific Adviser and NHS staff have given help and advice to their Indian counterparts
  • Fresh assistance follows medical relief sent by the Government last week and a surge in support from the British people to India
  • On Tuesday the Prime Minister will hold a virtual meeting with Indian Prime Minister Modi to discuss deepening cooperation between the UK and India

India’s fight against a surge in coronavirus cases will be reinforced by new UK Government support announced by the Prime Minister today. 1,000 ventilators will be sent from the UK’s surplus supply to Indian hospitals to help the most severe Covid cases.

This is in addition to 200 ventilators, 495 oxygen concentrators and 3 oxygen generation units the UK announced we were sending to India last week.

Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance have also spoken to their Indian counterparts to provide advice, insight and expertise to the Indian healthcare system as it deals with the world’s worse surge in Covid levels.

NHS England is also establishing a clinical advisory group led by Chief People Officer Prerana Issar to support India’s Covid response. The group will work with Indian institutions such as the All India Institute of Medical Services to share experience on managing Covid outbreaks.

The group will include researchers in public and global health, alongside nursing and other health professionals who have experience of the Indian healthcare system.

In a powerful demonstration of what Indian Prime Minister Modi has called the ‘living bridge’ between our countries, over the last week British people have come to the support of India in huge numbers. Businesses, civil society and the wider public have responded to appeals for help and launched funding drives.

This includes the British Asian Trust’s ‘Oxygen for India’ emergency appeal, which is raising funds for oxygen concentrators to be rapidly deployed to Indian hospitals. The BAT appeal, which has been personally backed by the Prince of Wales, has raised more than £1.5m in the last week.

Virgin Atlantic also flew 200 boxes of oxygen concentrators to Delhi on Saturday, after partnering with Khalsa Aid. Further cargo space will be given free of charge on 6 flights to India in the next week, in association with The Red Cross.

India has also provided support to the UK throughout the coronavirus pandemic. As the ‘pharmacy of the world’ the country has kept its borders open to supply the UK with vital medicine and PPE – exporting over 11 million face masks and 3 million packets of paracetamol over the course of 2020.

On Tuesday the Prime Minister will hold a virtual meeting with Prime Minister Modi to agree a huge range of commitments to deepen cooperation between the UK and India, including on fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “The terrible images we have seen in India in recent weeks are all the more powerful because of the close and enduring connection between the people of the UK and India.

“I am deeply moved by the surge of support the British people have provided to the people of India and am pleased the UK Government has been able to play our part in providing life-saving assistance.

“The UK will always be there for India in its time of need.”

The world is safer and stronger because of work between the UK and India. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, for example, was developed in the UK, is currently being produced in the millions by India’s Serum Institute and will be distributed to the world at cost through COVAX.

It is those shared values of openness and the pursuit of knowledge and scientific advancement for the betterment of our societies that lie at the heart of the relationship between the UK and India. During his call with Prime Minister Modi the Prime Minister will emphasise the importance of working with India to promote our shared values.

India is the largest democracy in the world, a fellow Commonwealth country and in June Prime Minister Modi will travel to the UK to attend the G7 Summit as a guest – one of four world leaders invited to join the Summit of leading democracies.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: “This support will help urgently meet some of India’s acute needs, particularly oxygen for patients. We are determined to help our Indian friends in their hour of need.

“We need to all work together to defeat Covid-19. No one is safe until we are all safe.”

Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock said: “As a close friend of India, we have all felt the harrowing scenes and are determined to do all we can. Only a few months ago we felt the pressure of the pandemic here in the UK. This virus attacks all of us and in the battle against coronavirus, we’re all on the same side.

“This additional support will provide more capacity and expertise to help save lives and support India’s healthcare system. We will continue to work closely with the Indian government during this immensely challenging time.”

UK aid and Unilever reach one billion people with global hygiene campaign to tackle Covid-19

A hygiene campaign launched by the Government and Unilever to tackle Covid-19 has now reached one billion people.

  • The world’s largest hygiene campaign aimed at tackling the spread of Covid-19 has reached one billion people.
  • The UK Government and Unilever partnered to provide soap, sanitiser and surface disinfectants to developing countries, where there is little or no sanitation.
  • This comes as the UK-backed COVAX scheme reaches deliveries of vaccines to 100 countries and territories.

One billion people in developing countries have now been reached with advice, hygiene products and access to handwashing facilities in a campaign launched between the UK government and British business Unilever to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

Working through the UN, charities and other partners, the campaign has:

  • Trained 140,000 staff, including community health workers and teachers, to deliver hygiene skills, including deep cleaning of public buildings and effective handwashing.
  • Installed over 500,000 handwashing stations around the world, including in Bangladesh, as well as health care facilities in Iraq.
  • Run information campaigns across TV, radio and social media in 37 countries to increase understanding of the benefits of handwashing with soap regularly and disinfecting surfaces to prevent the spread of Covid-19. These campaigns have also reached refugees living in some of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, such as South Sudan and Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh.
  • Delivered 75 million Unilever hygiene products, more than three times the original target, to 60 countries, covering South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, South East Asia and the Middle East. These have been donated by Unilever’s leading hygiene brands, including Lifebuoy and Domestos.

The UK has been leading the international response to the Covid-19 pandemic, helping to develop and distribute vaccines support the global economy and bolster health systems around the world.

As one of the largest donors to the COVAX AMC, the UK is also helping stop the spread of the disease through global vaccinations. The scheme has reached 100 countries so far.

The Prime Minister has also confirmed the UK will share the majority of any future surplus coronavirus vaccines from our supply with the COVAX procurement pool to support developing countries.

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Minister Wendy Morton said: “This global hand washing campaign has saved lives and protected some of the most vulnerable communities around the world against Covid-19 and other diseases.

“No one is safe until we are all safe. That is why the UK has also provided £548 million for COVAX to deliver more than one billion vaccines around the world, as well as lobbying international partners to increase their funding.”

As well as the UK Government and Unilever, the campaign, funded by UK aid and Unilever, is also supported by experts from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and 21 partners including UNICEF and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees who are helping governments around the world on their own Covid-19 responses.

Charities and international organisations have developed new tools to communicate how Covid-19 is spread. Population Services International developed a WhatsApp chatbot to send new training to health workers while remaining socially-distanced and safe.

Rebecca Marmot, Chief Sustainability Officer at Unilever, said: “Our business has a century-long history of promoting hygiene through our brands, but this unprecedented crisis called for an unprecedented response.

“Public-private partnership has been critical, allowing us to leverage the influence, expertise and networks of both government and business, and our strong network of NGO and UN partners, at home and overseas. We’re pleased to work together with partners to implement initiatives to address the pandemic at scale.”

Robert Dreibelbis, from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “Handwashing and hygiene are among the most effective ways to help prevent the spread of many diseases.

“The COVID-19 crisis has shown the important role that hygiene plays in health. Our hope is that this recognition of the vital role of hygiene continues at scale as a key part of COVID-19 recovery.”

UK releases new emergency aid to help over 1.3 m vulnerable people

  • New UN data reveals humanitarian crises are worsening around the world, with 235 million people expected to be in need of urgent assistance compared to 175 million people at the start of 2020.
  • The UK is releasing an extra £47 million of aid to immediately provide food, nutrition, water and shelter for vulnerable families in nine countries and regions.
  • The UK is also lobbying international donors to provide more funding and working to ensure conflict parties allow humanitarian access for aid workers and ensure the protection of civilians.

The UK is releasing new emergency aid to help over 1.3 million vulnerable people in some of the world’s most dangerous places, who face daily threats of starvation, conflict and coronavirus.

Life-saving food, nutrition, water, childhood vaccinations and shelter will urgently help families caught in some of the largest humanitarian crises, including across the Sahel, Syria, South Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Venezuela and Mozambique.

Humanitarian crises are getting worse according to UN data published earlier this month, compounded by the pandemic, with 235 million people expected to be in need of urgent assistance next year compared to 175 million people at the start of 2020.

The UN’s Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)’s survey also shows that there are people in South Sudan and Yemen living in famine-like conditions today.

In September the Foreign Secretary announced a Call to Action to prevent famine, and appointed Nick Dyer as the UK Special Envoy on Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs to drive this effort. Today’s extra aid announcement forms part of the UK’s continued leadership on addressing this global crisis.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: “Hundreds of millions of people living in the world’s largest humanitarian crises are struggling to survive, threatened by conflict, starvation and coronavirus.

“This extra emergency UK aid will mean people can feed their families and prevent these crises from escalating into widespread famine. We hope to see other donors step up to the plate with some extra funding to prevent these global crises getting worse.”

The extra UK aid announced today will help continue momentum and pressure other donors to step up with additional financing.

The UK has been sounding the alarm on this growing threat to millions of lives – with the dire situation in conflict and fragile states being exacerbated by economic recession, coronavirus and climate change. This is rapidly increasing the number of people in desperate need and more people than ever are going hungry.

The UK is combining its humanitarian expertise with its diplomatic power to build back stronger from coronavirus. We are using our seat on the UN Security Council to call for life-saving humanitarian access for everyone who needs it and hold countries to account on their international legal obligations to allow aid workers to operate impartially in conflict zones and support the protection of civilians.