Zubair Qureshi
Islamabad
Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Pakistan on Tuesday signed a $2 million grant agreement to strengthen Pakistan’s efforts to combat the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Secretary of the Economic Affairs Division, Noor Ahmed and ADB Country Director for Pakistan, Xiaohong Yang signed the agreement.
The grant financed from the Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund through United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) will help provide life-saving medical supplies, diagnostic and laboratory facilities, and other critical equipment for communities affected by the pandemic.
UNICEF representative in Pakistan Aida Girma and ADB Country Director for Pakistan Xiaohong Yang signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations. The agreement will enable the UNICEF to procure the supplies and equipment using the grant.
“ADB continues to work closely with the Government of Pakistan and development partners to assist Pakistan in sustaining the gains made in combating the pandemic” said ADB Country Director for Pakistan Xiaohong Yang. “The grant to be administered through UNICEF will help strengthen Pakistan’s response to the COVID-19 challenge. Pakistan needs to maintain its strong efforts to contain the pandemic through robust prevention and control measures as well as by ensuring the provision of essential medical and emergency healthcare facilities, considering the recent increase in the infection rates.”
The grant supplements an initial $500,000 provided by ADB through UNICEF to support Pakistan’s procurement of emergency supplies and personal protective equipment. These have been delivered to doctors, nurses, and other medical staff in major health facilities prioritized by the government.
“Since the outbreak of the pandemic, UNICEF has been at the forefront supporting the Government of Pakistan in its efforts to mitigate the spread of coronavirus in the country, said UNICEF Representative in Pakistan,” Aida Girma.
