WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund raises over US$214M
ꟷTo fund development of COVID-19 vaccines, procure protective gears
DPI Guyana, Thursday, May 28, 2020
WHO’s Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
In just two-and-a-half months, the World Health Organisation (WHO) through its Solidarity Response Fund has raised more than US$214 Million (GYD 44.8 B) from over 400,000 individuals and companies.
These funds have been used to procure lab diagnostics, personal protective equipment, and to fund research and development, including for vaccines.
During a Mission briefing on COVID-19 today, WHO’s Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that the Solidarity Response Fund will continue to receive donations to support WHO’s work on COVID-19, while the recently established WHO Foundation will help to fund all elements of WHO’s work and be fully aligned with the organisation’s priorities.
Dr. Ghebreyesus explained that the WHO Foundation has been created as a way to generate funding from sources the health organisation has not tapped into before, including the private sector, major donors and the general public.
“The establishment of the WHO Foundation comes after two years of hard work, when we started the formal consultation with you and other stakeholders in February 2018.
And it builds on the success of the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, which has provided powerful proof of concept for the WHO Foundation.”
Also, the WHO has published the following documents: Updated guidance on clinical management of patients with COVID-19; Operational planning guidelines to support country preparedness and response; A monitoring and evaluation framework;
A scientific brief on smoking and COVID-19; A protocol for conducting age-stratified seroepidemiological investigations; and a protocol for the assessment of risk factors for COVID-19 in health workers.
“We urge all Member States to read and implement this guidance, and we are committed to working with you through our Regional and Country Offices to adapt it to your unique circumstances,” Dr. Ghebreyesus stated.