To reinforce the United States’ renewed commitment to the World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Ambassador Michael Pelletier paid a courtesy call on Wednesday to UN Resident Representative to Madagascar Issa Sanogo and WHO Resident Representative Pr. Charlotte Ndiaye.
Ambassador Pelletier echoed President Biden’s recognition of the vital role that WHO plays in confronting the COVID-19 pandemic, improving global health, and heightening global preparedness against future biologic threats. Ambassador Pelletier emphasized that, as a WHO member state, the United States will continue to play a leading role in the international response to the pandemic in Madagascar and in the region.
Throughout the pandemic, the U.S. government has remained the largest single country donor to Madagascar’s health sector, providing $62 million each year to fund the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) health activities that reduce Madagascar’s maternal and child mortality, provide access to potable water and sanitation, protect communities from malaria, improve access to family planning, reinforce the national community health policy, and ensure a reliable supply chain of vital health care supplies and medication, including to prevent, detect, and treat COVID-19.
In 2020, the U.S. government provided $2.5 million in additional funding for specific COVID-19 interventions such as disease surveillance in remote communities, public health education about the virus, and ensuring the supply of essential medical supplies and services. The U.S. government also contributed $5 million to the Tosiky Fameno cash transfer program that helped vulnerable families in the most affected cities cope with the effects of the pandemic. Working side-by-side with the Government and people of Madagascar, like “mpirahalahy mianala,” the United States implements all of its projects in line with the Government of Madagascar’s development strategies and will continue these efforts in 2021.
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