The Government of Japan and UNOPS Support COVID-19 Response in Syria – Syrian Arab Republic – ReliefWeb

Damascus - April 5, 2021 The Government of Japan funded in the amount of USD 2,336,554 from the Japanese Supplementary Budget 2020 to UNOPS so that UNOPS will launch a new project for supporting COVID-19 emergency response in Syria. The Project aims to increase the capacities of the national health sector in the provision of life-saving and life sustaining services to the populations affected by the ongoing conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic. The project will deliver critically needed medical equipment and supplies in hospitals and health facilities supporting Syrias response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is expected to benefit approximately 720,000 people on an annual basis.

Japan stays engaged in humanitarian assistance to support vulnerable populations such as children, youth and women wherever they are in Syria to meet their urgent needs, said Mr. Akira Endo, Special Coordinator for Syria and Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of Japan in Syria. The humanitarian crisis in Syria has become more complicated after 10 years, in particular with, due to the impacts of COVID-19, which have negatively affected the health and living conditions of thousands of households. We sincerely hope that our contribution will find its way to people in need of assistance and alleviate the sufferings of as many Syrian people as possible.

Supporting COVID-19 response has been an essential component of the international interventions since early last year. Thanks to the generous funding from the Government of Japan, this project will support Syrian population suffering from both the pandemic and conflict through enhanced access to health services. With the support of our strategic partners in the region, UNOPS is playing a vital role in helping people build better lives, said Mr. Usman Akram, Director of UNOPS Operational Hub in Amman.

Syria has been facing various challenges. The COVID-19 outbreak in Syria has exacerbated existing vulnerabilities and created urgent needs especially in the health sector.

Contributing to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, this project will contribute to the strategic health objectives of the Humanitarian Response Plan (2019) for Syria, including increase access to humanitarian life-saving and life-sustaining health services for those most vulnerable; strengthen health sector capacity to prepare for, detect and deliver timely response to disease outbreaks.

About UNOPS:

UNOPS helps the UN and its partners provide peace and security, humanitarian and development solutions. UNOPS mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development. UNOPS services cover infrastructure, project management, procurement, financial management and human resources. Our partners call on us to supplement their own capacities, improve speed, reduce risks, boost costeffectiveness and increase quality.

The UNOPS Hub in Amman covers Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, and implements projects in partnership with bilateral donors, national governments, and other UN agencies.

For Press Inquiries, please contact:

Anwar Abu Sakieneh, Communications Specialist (UNOPS)Mobile number: +962 7 9902 6315 AnwarAB@unops.org or +962 6 5902122

Read the original:

The Government of Japan and UNOPS Support COVID-19 Response in Syria - Syrian Arab Republic - ReliefWeb