COVID-19 Crisis: UAE Steps Up as Leading Global First Responder, WFP Boss Says

UAE dedicates a fleet of three aircraft to enable the movement of life-saving cargo and personnel where they are needed the most until the end of the year.

Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), David Beasley, says the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is making its ‘’significant capabilities’’ available in the service of humanity in the face of COVID-19 pandemic.

WFP is, however, a United Nations agency and the world’s largest humanitarian organisation, saving lives in emergencies, building prosperity and supporting a sustainable future for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change. 

According to Beasley in a statement wired to this reporter, “at this grave moment in history, when so many countries face enormous challenges at home, the UAE is once again stepping up as a leading first responder to global crises and making its significant capabilities available in the service of humanity.”

The UAE in partnership with WFP has launched an international air bridge operation that will provide a lifeline of essential health and humanitarian supplies to countries around the world grappling with the impact of COVID-19.

In support of WFP’s role in providing critical logistics services for the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the global humanitarian community, the UAE is dedicating a fleet of three aircraft to enable the movement of life-saving cargo and personnel where they are needed most until the end of the year.

Already, the COVID-19 pandemic is collapsing overstretched health systems and creating devastating social and economic impact.

WFP says this support will supply millions of medical items and thousands of tons of critical humanitarian cargo to vulnerable communities and frontline workers in more than 100 countries in the months to come.

The UAE decision to further boost support for global efforts to curb the COVID-19 pandemic was taken within hours of a conversation between the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the WFP big boss, in which they discussed the status of global efforts to tackle COVID-19.

The initiative is coming as the UN agency warns of a global humanitarian catastrophe facing communities on the edge of survival in parts of the world already dealing with economic shocks, conflict and natural disaster. 

More than ever, getting assistance to these communities is now a matter of life or death. While most commercial airlines remain grounded and supply chains face complexities never seen before, the joint air bridge will reconnect aid operations with a supply of medical equipment, goods and expertise needed to confront COVID-19 in the world’s most fragile settings.

The first airlift departed Abu Dhabi carrying important medical equipment from Oslo to various locations. 

The fleet of three aircraft will operate on rotation between the UAE and key locations across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

“WFP has been working tirelessly to set up the logistics backbone for the global COVID-19 effort”, says Beasley, adding, “this partnership with the UAE will expand our capacity and support health and humanitarian organisations as we rally together to limit the spread of the virus and its devastating effects.”

The UAE-WFP air bridge operation will represent a major contribution to the COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan launched by the UN Secretary-General at the end of March. 

Within this, WFP has been mandated to provide common humanitarian services, for which it is appealing for an initial $350 million.

This comes on top of the $1.9 billion it requires to pre-position three months of food assistance in priority hunger hotspots around the world.

Leveraging the UAE’s unique position as a logistics gateway and commercial hub connecting all corners of the world, WFP operates in Dubai the largest humanitarian response depot in its global network. This is generously supported with funding from the UAE government, one of WFP’s top donors.

 

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