FACT SHEET
March 27, 2020
The U.S. government is leading the world’s humanitarian and health assistance response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are mobilizing all necessary resources to respond rapidly, both at home and abroad. As part of this comprehensive and generous U.S. response, the State Department and USAID are providing an initial investment of nearly $274 million in emergency health and humanitarian assistance to help countries in need,on top of the funding we already provide to multilateral organizations such as the World Health Organization and UNICEF.
This total to date includes nearly $100 million in emergency health assistance from USAID’s Global Health Emergency Reserve Fund and$110 million in humanitarian assistance from USAID’s International Disaster Assistance account, to be provided for up to 64 of the most at-risk countries facing the threat of this global pandemic. Through the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) will receive $64 millionin humanitarian assistance to help address the threats posed by COVID-19 in existing humanitarian crisis situations for some of the world’s most vulnerable people.
U.S. government agencies are working together to prioritize foreign assistance based on coordination and the potential for impact. With today’s new funds, the United States is providing the following specific assistance:
Latin America and the Caribbean:
- Jamaica: $700,000 in health funding will support risk communication efforts, water and sanitation, prevent and control infections, manage COVID-19 cases, strengthen laboratories, and surveil the spread of the virus. This assistance builds upon U.S. investments of nearly $87 million in health and nearly $619 million total over the past 20 years for Jamaica.
- Paraguay: $1.3 million in health assistance will support risk communication efforts, prevent and control infections, manage COVID-19 cases, strengthen laboratories, and surveil the spread of the virus.U.S. investment in Paraguay is long-term and includes more than $42 million in health and more than $456 million total over the past 20 years.
- Haiti: $2.2 million in health assistance will help the Haitian government scale up its risk communication efforts, water and sanitation, prevent and control infections, manage COVID-19 cases, strengthen laboratories, and more. The United States has invested $1.8 billion in health in Haiti and nearly $6.7 billion in total assistance over the past 20 years.
- The Caribbean: $1.7 million will help governments in the Eastern Caribbean scale up their risk communication efforts, water and sanitation, prevent and control infections, manage COVID-19 cases, strengthen laboratories, and surveil the spread of the virus. This builds upon decades of strategic U.S. investment in the region, including more than $236 million in health and more than$840 million total over the past 20 years.
- Additionally, humanitarian assistance is being provided to Colombia ($8.5 million) and Venezuela ($9 million) to surveil the spread of the virus, provide water and sanitation supplies, manage COVID-19 cases, and more. In Colombia, the United States has invested approximately $32.5 million in health over the past 20 years, and nearly $12 billion in total assistance in that same time frame. In Venezuela, the U.S. has invested more than $1.3 million in direct health assistance and more than $278 million in total long-term assistance over the past 20 years.
U.S. investments under the Global Health Security Agenda, including those we have contributed to this global crisis response, are designed to protect the American public by helping to minimize the spread of disease in affected countries and improve local and global responses to outbreaks of infectious pathogens.
This new assistance builds on the United States’ record of leadership in global health and humanitarian assistance.This assistance is part of a larger USG global response package across multiple departments and agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Since 2009, American taxpayers have generously funded more than$100 billion in health assistance and nearly$70 billion in humanitarian assistance globally.Our country continues to be the single largest health and humanitarian donor for both long-term development and capacity building efforts with partners, and emergency response efforts in the face of recurrent crises. This money has saved lives, protected people who are most vulnerable to disease, built health institutions, and promoted the stability of communities and nations.
For more information on the U.S. government’s holistic funding in response to this crisis, please contact F-Press@state.gov.
For details on specific in-country response activities, please contact USAID at press@usaid.gov.
For details on the humanitarian assistance contribution to UNHCR, please contact the State Department’s Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration at PRM-Press@state.gov.
