US pledges USD 274 mn foreign aid to battle COVID-19; India gets access to USD 2.9 mn; Read more

Washington March 28: The United States on Saturday announced USD 274 million financial assistance to 64 countries including USD 2.9 million to India to help them fight the coronavirus pandemic. The US State Department and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said were providing an initial investment to world’s most at-risk countries to combat the pandemic.

 

 

This being in addition to the USD 100 million aid announced by the US in February, the new pledge includes USD 100 million in emergency health assistance and USD 110 million in new international disaster assistance.

The newly announced assistance is a part of a larger American global response package across multiple departments and agencies including centers for disease control and prevention(CDS). While the 64 countries include India, the US is providing the monetary aid to India to prepare laboratory systems, activate case finding and event-based surveillance, and support technical experts for response and preparedness, and more.

 

 

“This builds upon the foundation of more than USD 1.4 billion in health assistance out of the more than $2.8 billion in US assistance for India over the last 20 years.” the State Department said. According to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Administrator Bonnie Glick, the new assistance builds on the US' record of global health leadership. "For decades, the United States has been the world's largest provider of bilateral assistance in public health", she said.

 

The US has saved lives, protected people who are most vulnerable to disease, built health institutions and promoted the stability of communities and nations, In the last twenty years USAID and the State Department have invested nearly USD 120 BILLION in public health worldwide, she signed off.