The European Union (EU) said on Wednesday that it is mobilizing over €334 million or around Tk31 billion for the fight against Covid-19 and its consequences in Bangladesh.
Coronavirus knows no borders, said the EU Embassy in Dhaka. Therefore, the European Union (EU), its member states, and the European financial institutions have decided to join forces as Team Europe (#TeamEurope) to tackle the pandemic.
A global EU response of €20 billion was launched to help mitigate the spread of the virus, and to reduce spillover effects on economic and social stability in partner countries, reports UNB.
“Covid-19 knows no borders and hits the most vulnerable hardest. Team Europe’s support of some €334 million will assist the Government of Bangladesh in providing support to those who are most affected by Covid-19, in terms of health and livelihoods,” said the Ambassador of the EU, Rensje Teerink.
“#TeamEurope trusts that all Bangladeshis, and in particular millions of the most affected people, will benefit from these interventions. #TeamEurope is the tangible expression of the exceptional European efforts to lead the fight against Covid-19 and to express our global solidarity.”
In its ongoing development cooperation programs in Bangladesh, the EU is already addressing many areas crucial to coronavirus response and recovery of the economy. This grant comes on top of those efforts.
€263 million has been allocated to mitigate the economic and social impact of Covid-19 in the country. From this sum, €93 million EU grant and €20 million German grant will help the Government provide cash assistance to workers in the export-oriented industries most affected by the crisis.
In addition, the French Development Agency - Agence Française de Développement – (AFD) will support the Bangladesh government with €150 million to improve the country’s social protection measures.
€64.8 million (€16.5 million from the EU plus €48.3 million from Germany) will be used to scale up interventions through the United Nations (UN) and NGO partners for vulnerable Bangladeshi host communities and Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar.
€5.5 million aims at strengthening Bangladesh’s research and health systems as follows: an EU grant of nearly €3 million to the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Government Preparedness and Response Plan.
An EU grant of €246,000 will assist the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) with operational and technical support.
In addition, Sweden is supporting the health sector through UN and NGOs with the following programs: ‘Urban Health on Risk Communication and PPE in Urban Settings’ (€1,385,000); ‘WASH, Handwashing Facilities and Information in Urban Slums’ (€462,000) and the ‘Midwifery Programme with PPE, Training and Triage’ (€462,000).
Another grant of €714,383, out of which €618,383 is from the EU and €96,000 is from Germany, will address the urgent needs of ultra-poor and vulnerable people in the urban areas of Dhaka and rural areas in the country.
This contribution will support direct cash transfers to vulnerable households and awareness campaigns to reduce the spread of the virus.
At the global level, #TeamEurope has joined forces with other multilateral partners and IFIs (Word Bank, IMF, ADB) by contributing 22% of the $88 billion global response against Covid-19. Bangladesh will also benefit from the funds that the EU and its Member States have made available to its multilateral partners to tackle the pandemic.
#TeamEurope’s response is about combining the collective development resources of the EU, its Member States and their respective financial institutions and implementing agencies, in particular the European Investment Bank, as well as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
