EU member states mobilize 487 million Euro to support Ethiopia’s COVID-19 response efforts

ADDIS ABABA, June 17 (EI) — The European Union (EU) and its member states have mobilized 487 million Euro (about 550 million U.S. dollars) to support Ethiopia’s COVID 19 response effort, the EU disclosed on Tuesday.

“Building on many years of partnership with Ethiopia including investment in strengthening health and social protection systems, addressing communicable diseases and providing humanitarian support, Team Europe COVID-19 response has reached 487 million Euro to date,” the European Union Delegation to Ethiopia disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday.

This includes support to the Ethiopian health system and quarantine sites, social protection enhancement, livelihood recovery and significant support to the country in its overall economic response to the crisis, it was noted.

The EU also stressed that it’s working closely with the Ministry of Finance, as well as the Ministry of Health and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) together with several member state embassies and agencies towards addressing the COVID-19 crisis from in the East African country.

“Team Europe is also making important contributions to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the wider UN system, demonstrating our continued support for multilateralism and underlining the need for an integrated, effective and coherent global response to this pandemic,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, the EU also disclosed that in partnership with Team Europe its is contributing 60 million Euro to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an East African bloc, in supporting border facilities, continuity of health services, ensuring critical supply chains for safe trade and promoting digital solutions for COVID-19 health response.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Health on Monday revealed that from the total of 5,636 medical tests that were conducted within the last 24-hours period, some 176 of them have been tested positive for COVID-19, eventually bringing the total number of cases in the country to 3,521 as of the stated period.