U.S. Pledges $1.7 million To Azerbaijan To Battle COVID-19

Washington/27.03.20/Turan: The United States on Friday announced additional foreign assistance funding to help some 64 at-risk countries battle the COVID-19 global pandemic while welcoming “continued, no-strings-attached” contributions from other nations.

Azerbaijan will receive  $1.7 million worth of health assistance in an effort to help "prepare laboratory systems, activate case-finding and event-based surveillance, support technical experts for response and preparedness, bolster risk communication, and more," TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"Over the past 20 years, the United States has invested nearly $41 million in health alone in Azerbaijan, and more than $890 million in total assistance," according to the State Department's fact sheet.

The U.S. government is "leading the world’s humanitarian and health assistance response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are mobilizing all necessary resources to respond rapidly, both at home and abroad," reads the statement.

As part of this comprehensive and generous U.S. response, the State Department and USAID are providing an initial investment of nearly $274 million in emergency health and humanitarian assistance to help countries in need, on top of the funding we already provide to multilateral organizations such as the World Health Organization and UNICEF.

Through the State Department’s Bureau  of Population, Refugees, and Migration, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) will receive $64 million in humanitarian assistance to help address the threats posed by COVID-19 in existing humanitarian crisis situations for some of the world’s most vulnerable people. 

A.Raufoglu

Washington D.C.