MFA: Finland to support COVID-19 response in India, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Niger

The COVID-19 pandemic remains serious across the world and is particularly hard on already fragile states. The IFRC appeal will allocate support to healthcare sectors, to addressing the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to vaccine rollout, including vaccine transports, organisation of vaccinations and sharing of information about vaccines.

Finland’s contribution will be channelled via the Finnish Red Cross.

“It is important to show solidarity with the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Overcoming the coronavirus across the world will benefit Finland, too. By supporting the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, we are efficiently responding to the coronavirus pandemic even in the most difficult conditions,” says Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari.

The overall funding requirement for the IFRC appeal is around EUR 2.3 billion, and it is severely underfunded. At the moment, the appeal has received contributions amounting to EUR 1.59 billion.

Inquiries:
Lauratuulia Lehtinen, Head of Unit, tel. +358 295 350 184

The email addresses of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs are in the format firstname.lastname@formin.fi