The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) vowed to support inclusive development and promote the wellbeing of children and young people in Indonesia, including in the country’s fight against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in a memorandum of understanding (MOU).
Under the partnership, ADB and UNICEF will collaborate to improve their programs for children, adolescents, women, and other disadvantaged people in Indonesia in the areas of health, water, sanitation and hygiene, education, nutrition, social protection, and climate change and disaster resilience.
The partnership will also support Indonesia’s emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the provision of critical medical equipment, such as personal protective equipment for health workers, across the country. The COVID-19-related support will be financed by a $3 million grant from ADB’s Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund, which was approved by ADB, with UNICEF being a key implementing partner.
“ADB is very pleased to collaborate with such a strong and committed partner as UNICEF in Indonesia, particularly during this extraordinary time, as the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected people’s health and livelihoods,” said ADB Country Director for Indonesia Winfried Wicklein. “The collaboration will allow us to jointly assist the government in mitigating the pandemic’s immediate impact in Indonesia, as well as supporting its development priorities in the medium and longer-term.”
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.
Original source: ADB
Published on 14 April 2020
