India is in the news....
again.
USAID Provides $2.9M to Support India's COVID-19 Efforts
For Immediate Release
Monday, April 6, 2020
New Delhi: On March 28, the U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), announced $2.9 million to support India in its response to the novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19. This builds on a foundation of more than $1.4 billion in health assistance, and nearly $3 billion in total assistance, that the United States has provided to India over the last 20 years.
These new funds will support two organizations: $2.4 million for USAID's health strengthening project, implemented by Jhpiego, an international non-profit health organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University, and $500,000 for the World Health Organization (WHO). The funds will help the Government of India slow the spread of COVID-19, provide care for the affected, and support local communities with the tools needed to contain the disease.
Praising India’s efforts, U.S. Ambassador to India Kenneth I. Juster announced that the USAID assistance will further support India’s response to COVID-19. “COVID-19 is a global public health threat that can be addressed best by close collaboration among governments and international organizations. The U.S. Government, through USAID, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agencies, is working closely with the Government of India and multilateral agencies to support India’s response to this global pandemic,” said Ambassador Juster.
For decades, the United States has been the world's largest provider of bilateral assistance in public health. Since 2009, American taxpayers have generously made available more than $100 billion dollars in health assistance and nearly $70 billion in humanitarian assistance globally. This generosity is underscored by our contributions to several crucial multilateral partners, which includes:
- U.S. contributions to WHO in 2019, which exceeded $400 million, almost double the 2nd largest member state contribution.
- U.S. support to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) of nearly $1.7 billion contributed in 2019. This support will be critical going forward, as refugee populations are uniquely vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- U.S. contributions to the UN Children’s Fund in 2019 totaled more than $700 million. The life-saving activities UNICEF has been doing for years -- such as immunization campaigns and health and sanitation training and assistance -- will save lives as we fight this dangerous pathogen.
Because an infectious-disease threat anywhere can become a threat everywhere, the United States calls on other donors to contribute to the global effort to combat COVID-19.
USAID is the world’s premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. USAID’s work advances U.S. national security and economic prosperity, demonstrates American generosity, and promotes a path to recipient self-reliance and resilience. To learn more, visit: https://www.usaid.gov/india
https://www.usaid.gov/india/press-releases/apr-6-2020-usaid-provides-29m-support-india-covid-19-efforts
Foreign Assistance for Coronavirus (COVID-19)
The United States has continued to demonstrate its global leadership in public health and humanitarian assistance in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The full range of U.S. resources to contain and prevent the spread of COVID-19 has been deployed not just at home, but also across the globe:
- Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the U.S. Government has announced more than $1.5 billion in State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) emergency health, humanitarian, economic, and development assistance specifically aimed at helping governments, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) fight the pandemic. This funding, provided by Congress, will save lives by improving public health education; protecting healthcare facilities; and increasing laboratory, disease-surveillance, and rapid-response capacity in more than 120 countries.
- The State Department, USAID , and CDC are working together to support health systems, humanitarian assistance, and economic, security, and stabilization efforts worldwide with the $2.4 billion in an emergency supplemental funding Congress has allocated.
- The United States is by far the most generous and reliable contributor to crisis response and humanitarian action through UNICEF, the World Food Program, and dozens of international organizations. Our leadership enables these organizations to fight disease and ultimately, protect Americans.
- Americans don’t just provide aid through government means. We have helped populations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic around the world through the generosity of private businesses, nonprofit groups, and faith-based organizations.
The United States has always stood by our partners through pandemics and crises. In the face of the COVID-19, the American people are here to help.
https://www.state.gov/foreign-assistance-for-coronavirus-covid-19/
Why we can't have nice things.
America first.