Contribution to UN COVID-19 Appeal Global Humanitarian Response Plan, April-December 2020

COVID-19 has a foothold across the globe and is now reaching countries that were already facing humanitarian crisis because of conflict, natural disasters and climate change. This is a global crisis that demands coordinated, decisive, and innovative action from the international community.

On 25 March, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres launched a USD 2 billion Global Humanitarian Response Plan (GHRP) to fight COVID-19 in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries in a bid to protect millions of people and stop the virus from circling back around the globe. To kick-start the GHRP, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) released an additional USD 60 million from CERF's Rapid Response Window. This brings the CERF’s support to humanitarian action in response to the COVID-19 pandemic up to USD 75 million.

Switzerland’s contribution to the CERF helps to ensure that the most critical and underfunded areas of the UN system receive support in a rapid and un-bureaucratic way.

Direct beneficiaries:

Most vulnerable people, including women and girls who are often disproportionately affected, refugees and internally displaced people, in most vulnerable countries already with on-going humanitarian operations.

Indirect beneficiaries:

UN agencies, non-governmental organizations and local institutions.

-    The continuity of supply chains and transport of aid workers and relief goods are ensured; 

-    The spread of the pandemic amongst the most vulnerable population and countries is effectively contained;

-    Humanitarian assistance and protection to those most affected by the pandemic, including women and girls, refugees and internally displaced people are effectively delivered.

Resultados previstos:  

Food security and livelihoods - provision of:

-    life-saving food security assistance;

-    cash assistance;

-    Agriculture- and livestock-based livelihoods are protected through the distribution of seeds, animal feed and other agricultural inputs; 

-    Data on the impact of the pandemic on food value chains and agricultural system is collected.

Protection and Healthcare - provision of: 

-    life-saving health care and protection assistance; 

-    equipment and material for infection prevention and control; 

-    safe delivery and access to emergency obstetric and newborn care;

-    clinical management of rape, medical and psychosocial support services, family planning services and life-saving SGBV services; 

-    community engagement towards primary prevention, contact tracing and stigma reduction; 

-    life-saving multi-sector refugee assistance, water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter and health assistance; 

-    core relief items including through cash-based transfers in congested camp settings; 

-    primary and secondary health care and water, sanitation and hygiene services;

Logistics - provision of:

-    common logistics services to ensure the continuity of life-saving humanitarian operations and health assistance.

Resultados de las fases anteriores:  

Early action and prevention:

-    The global outbreak of COVID-19 is contained through timely life-saving health, education and child protection assistance in vulnerable countries;

-    Continuity of services for health, education, nutrition and child protection services in vulnerable communities is ensured.