EU gives Afghanistan 117 million euros to fight coronavirus

EU in a statement said that Afghanistan may be "severely" affected by the pandemic as its public health system is "weakened by years of conflict and has to cope with limited resources, and is not accessible throughout the country.
TheEU response, amounting to 117 million euros, is directed to tackling the pandemic and addressing its health and socio-economic impacts. This includes 50 million euros in additional fundingto strengthen Afghanistan’s health system.
This will help making human and material resources, such as testing and treatment equipment, available for a specific response to the COVID-19 crisis while allowing for the continuation of ongoing key basic services such as maternal and child care, the statement said.
Health awareness raising and surveillance actions will also be supported across the country. Specific attention will be given to returnees from Iran and Pakistan and internally displaced persons, and their host communities, with activitiesincluding awareness raising, sanitation and hygiene measures, and access to health services and income opportunities. This is complemented by support to Afghans on the move in Iran and Pakistan, according to the statement.
“Today EU gives to its engagement in Afghanistan a new, concrete and robust dimension by supporting all efforts aimed at mitigating the effects of the Coronavirus," EU Ambassador to Afghanistan Pierre Mayaudon said.
"Fighting the disease should be the only fight in Afghanistan. Our assistance comes with the strong plea to political leaders to urgently reach an agreement and to all parties to the armed conflict to observe an immediate humanitarian ceasefire," he added.
Afghanistan has registered more than 600 cases of coronavirus.