21 July 2020. The India-UN Development Partnership Fund, managed by UNOSSC, is working rapidly to support projects to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Areas of focus for the projects include increasing national healthcare capacities, reducing risk of transmission, mitigating socio-economic impact and catalyzing transformative recovery.
Below are details of recently approved initiatives of the Fund, including its Commonwealth window:
1. Antigua and Barbuda: Strengthening national health capacities and reducing socio-economic and human development negative impacts of COVID-19 crisis
- A total budget of $1 million has been approved for UNDP implementation of the project with an amount of USD 150,000 disbursed on an urgent basis to UNDP to purchase five medical ventilators, which has been successful installed and are operationally ready.
- The project aims to develop a food security strategy, identifying vulnerable households and develop mechanisms for cash-transfers and in-kind support;
- Support will be provided towards economic reactivation and transition of small businesses with self-employed workers and actors in the informal economy to a more sustainable model for the period of social distancing and beyond: helping them diversity their offerings through online services, home-safe deliveries and tele-work.
- For more information, please click here.
2. Palau: Strengthening national health capacities to address COVID-19 crisis
- The purchase of medical supplies, equipment and testing capacity has been approved with a budget of USD 153,000 for UNOPS implementation.
- For more information, please click here.
3. Grenada: New Incinerator for the General Hospital
- With a budget of $100,000, the project has been approved for PAHO implementation with funds to go towards purchasing and installing a new incinerator for proper management of biomedical waste.
4. Guyana: Strengthening clinical management of COVID- 19 patients and reducing of risk of COVID- 19 transmission among healthcare workers
- With a total budget $1 million, the proposal has been approved for PAHO implementation
- The project will provide key intensive care medical equipment for improved COVID-19 patient care in Guyana
- The project aims to reduce the risk of infection among health workers by securing the provision of adequate Personal Protection Equipment.
- Information, education and communication (IEC) materials will be provided
5. Saint Lucia: Human Security and Sustainable Development – a COVID-19 response
- With a budget of $1 million, the project is approved for implementation by UNDP & WFP
- UNDP will procure ventilators and Personal Protection Equipment
- WFP will support the government-led cash transfer programme to address the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 response on the most vulnerable households in Saint Lucia and in expanding the Public Assistance Programme (PAP) to increase the reach to affected and vulnerable persons.
6. Nauru: Support to Nauru’s Strategic Response to COVID-19
- With a total budget of $1 million, the proposal is approved for implementation by UNDP and WHO
- The project will procure medical equipment and Personal Protection Equipment
The India-UN Development Partnership Fund is a dedicated facility within the United Nations Fund for South-South Cooperation established in 2017. It is supported and led by the Government of the Republic of India, managed by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, and implemented in collaboration with the United Nations system.
For more information on India-UN Development Partnership Fund, please visit the India-UN Fund website. For questions about the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, please contact Sumeeta Banerji, UN Office for South-South Cooperation at sumeeta.banerji@unossc.org.