BAKU – The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing $1.7 million to support the Azerbaijani government’s efforts to respond to the ongoing outbreak in Azerbaijan.

This award will be distributed to three international USAID partner organizations currently working with the Azerbaijani government: the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund – (UNICEF), and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Each of these organizations will contribute to an integrated effort, in partnership with Azerbaijan, to control the spread of the disease and reduce the harmful effects of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The award to WHO, UNICEF and IFRC will support the strengthening of Azerbaijan’s national laboratories, surveillance, and rapid response systems, increase infection prevention and control, build the capacity of public health responders, and educate the public about the virus and how to stop its spread.

U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Lee Litzenberger stated, “The support we are able to offer today, from the American people to the people and government of Azerbaijan, is an offering of solidarity and commitment. Together we can defeat COVID-19.”

Since 1992, the United States has provided more than USD $1.5 billion in assistance to Azerbaijan, making a positive difference for Azerbaijanis in a range of areas, including security, healthcare, agriculture, civil society, economic development, job creation, women’s entrepreneurship, and education. USAID began its support to Azerbaijan in the early days of independence, providing life- saving humanitarian assistance to people affected by conflict. USAID has provided long-term technical assistance to Azerbaijan to help diversify the economy, create a transparent and open environment to maximize human capital and to attract investment, and advance the prosperity and resilience of the Azerbaijani people.

For decades, the United States has been the world's largest provider of bilateral assistance in public health. Since 2009, American taxpayers have generously made available more than $100 billion dollars in health assistance and nearly $70 million in humanitarian assistance globally. This generosity is underscored by our contributions to several crucial multilateral partners, which includes:

· U.S. contributions to WHO in 2019, which exceeded $400 million, almost double the 2nd largest member state contribution.
· U.S. support to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) of nearly $1.7 billion contributed in 2019. This support will be critical going forward, as refugee populations are uniquely vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic.
· U.S. contributions to the UN Children’s Fund in 2019 totaled more than $700 million. The life-saving activities UNICEF has been doing for years -- such as immunization campaigns and health and sanitation training and assistance -- will save lives as we fight this dangerous pathogen.

Because an infectious-disease threat anywhere can become a threat everywhere, the United States calls on other donors to contribute to the global effort to combat COVID-19.