This year’s celebration of World Health Day on 7 April was dedicated to the critical role of nurses in keeping the world healthy. The heroic nurses, doctors and other health workers around the world are currently at the forefront of the COVID-19 response. Under the most difficult and heart-breaking of circumstances, they selflessly provide high quality treatment and compassionate care, often risking their own health and enduring long-term separation from their families to keep them safe.
Across the globe, countries are battling the invisible enemy that is COVID-19. The story of US leadership in the global battle against COVID-19 is a story of days, months and decades. Every day, new US technical and material assistance arrives in hospitals and labs around the world.
The United States provides aid because we believe it is the right thing to do, even while we work to address our own urgent public health needs at home. We also do it because pandemics do not respect national borders. If we can help countries contain outbreaks, we will save lives abroad and at home in the United States. That logic explains why the United States was one of the first countries to help the Chinese people as soon as reports of the outbreak emerged from Wuhan.
In early January, the United States government offered immediate technical assistance to the Chinese Centre for Disease Control. In the first week of February, the US transported nearly 18 tons of medical supplies to Wuhan provided by American humanitarian and faith-based organisations. The United States also pledged $100m in assistance to countries to fight what would become a pandemic.
Our response now far surpasses that initial pledge. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the US government has committed nearly $500m in assistance to date. This funding will improve public health education, protect healthcare facilities and increase laboratory, disease-surveillance and rapid-response capacity in more than 60 of the world’s most at-risk countries – all in an effort to help contain outbreaks that will spread beyond borders. We are helping United Nations agencies and NGOs to build more water, sanitation and health facilities across northern Syria to prevent the spread of the virus. We are aiding friends from Africa to Asia, and beyond. Along the way, we are constantly evaluating our direct aid and our support to international organisations, to make sure it is effective, apolitical and getting to those who need it the most. In order to win the battle against COVID-19, all of us around the world must cooperate, share information and minimise waste of precious resources.
Here in Malta, the public health authorities have demonstrated world-class leadership and competence in managing the pandemic so far. While Malta is therefore not by any means one of the world’s most at-risk countries, the US Embassy partnered with Maltese company Invent 3D in its innovative project to 3D-print face shields to help health workers stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Invent 3D aims to produce up to 500 face shields per day, an incredible feat. Through partnerships like this, we are committed to support the Maltese authorities’ efforts to address the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our help is much more than money and supplies. It is the experts we have deployed worldwide, and those still conducting tutorials today via teleconference. It is the doctors and public-health professionals trained thanks to US funding and educational institutions. And it is the supply chains that we keep open and moving for US companies producing and distributing high-quality critical medical supplies around the world.
American businesses, NGOs and faith-based organisations have given at least $1.5bn to fight the COVID-19 pandemic overseas. American companies are innovating new technologies for vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics and ventilators. As we have time and time again, the United States will aid others during their time of greatest need. The COVID-19 pandemic is no different. We will continue to help countries to build resilient health care systems that can prevent, detect and respond to infectious disease outbreaks.
The United States funds nearly 40% of the world’s global health assistance programmes, adding up to $140bn in investments in the past 20 years. Since 2009, American taxpayers have funded more than $100bn in health assistance and nearly $70bn in humanitarian assistance globally. In 2019, the United States provided nearly $1.7bn to the United Nations Refugee Agency and $3.4bn to the World Food programme. The United States also gave more than $700m to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
We are proud to enable these international organisations to deliver food, medicines and other aid around the world, in partnership with donor nations. The United States is the largest health and humanitarian donor for long-term development and capacity building efforts with partners. It is the largest donor for emergency response efforts in the face of recurrent crises. This support has saved lives, protected people who are most vulnerable to disease, built health institutions and promoted the stability of communities and nations.
Our commitment to the international community remains steadfast even as the United States faces unprecedented challenges at home because of the COVID-19 outbreak. We are grateful for the solidarity and support we are receiving from the international community and know that we will come through this because of the support of friends and partners around the globe. We are grateful for the partnership of the international community in our efforts to repatriate US citizens stranded abroad by the current crisis. Together with our international partners, we will defeat our shared pandemic enemy and rise stronger in its wake. This is a time to work together to overcome a common enemy that threatens the lives of all of us. Thank you for your partnership, for being outstanding hosts while we are guests in Malta and for standing with us to face COVID-19 and other transnational challenges.
Mark A. Schapiro, Chargé d’Affaires, US Embassy in Malta