UNICEF provides Egypt with $17 million in aid to address coronavirus battle

UNICEF has provided Egypt with $17 million in aid to support the country’s efforts in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat announced on Monday.
Al-Mashat’s remarks made following a videoconference held with the UNICEF Representative in Egypt Bruno Maes to discuss ongoing and future cooperation in countering the pandemic crisis as well as the protection of children and women’s empowerment.
Maes, whose post in Egypt ends within two weeks, hailed the country’s several achievements and reforms related to protecting children, which had led to lowering the child mortality rate and expanding access to education.
UNICEF has provided Egypt with $100 million to aid in the healthcare and social protection of children and women, including in the neediest areas in North Sinai, he added.
The UN agency intends to fulfill a request by Egypt’s International Cooperation Ministry to provide medical supplies over the coming period, Maes said.
UNICEF’s work in Egypt focuses on boosting sustainable development with multidimensional equity for children and embodying the ‘fair chance for every child’ principle.