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Google and Facebook support new Covid-19 solidarity response fund
- The WHO fund will support efforts to track the spread of the virus, ensure sick patients get treated and raise defenses for countries around the world
- The fund will also support the development of vaccines, treatments and tests
New Delhi: For supporting the work of the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners to help countries respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, a new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) solidarity response fund has been launched with major support from Facebook and Google.
The companies have instituted a matching scheme for funds raised through their platforms, while individual donors are also supporting the fund through www.COVID19ResponseFund.org.
The fund will raise money from a wide range of donors. The fund, the first-of-its-kind, has been created by the United Nations Foundation and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation in association with WHO. The fund will enable private individuals, corporations and institutions anywhere in the world to come together to directly contribute to global response efforts.
WHO and its partners are seeking financing for protective equipment for frontline health workers, to equip diagnostic laboratories, improve surveillance and data collection, establish and maintain intensive care units, strengthen supply chains, accelerate research and development of vaccines and therapeutics, and take other critical steps to scale up the public health response to the pandemic.
“We are at a critical point in the global response to Covid-19 – we need everyone to get involved in this massive effort to keep the world safe,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“A lot of people and institutions have been saying they want to contribute to the fight against the novel coronavirus. Now they can,” he said.
Funds will go towards actions outlined in the COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to enable all countries – particularly those most vulnerable and at-risk, and with the weakest health systems – to prepare for and respond to the Covid-19 crisis including rapidly detecting cases, stopping transmission of the virus, and caring for those affected.
“We can’t ignore the fact that this is a truly global problem – one that requires truly global solutions,” said Elizabeth Cousens, UN Foundation President and CEO.
“The case for global cooperation could not be clearer – communities everywhere are affected, and people want to contribute. This new fund will create space for people everywhere, together, to fight this virus,” she said.
The Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund is hosted by two foundations, the UN Foundation (registered in the United States) and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation (registered in Switzerland). Both foundations have established relationships with the WHO, allowing for efficient transfer of financial resources to enable COVID-19 response efforts.
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First Published:14 Mar 2020, 12:53 AM IST
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