Qatar's kind gesture amid COVID deserves appreciation
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Doha: Since the Covid-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc worldwide, Qatar has aided about 100 countries with medical and humanitarian assistance as part of its fight against the global epidemic defence operations.
The Government Communications Office (GCO) stated that so far around $256 million came in as aid from the government and non-governmental entities in the country since the pandemic began. The GCO also said that it has offered help to around 88 countries.
Several international organizations, including the United Nations, and world leaders have praised Qatar's medical assistance to different countries across the world on various occasions.
Last year, Qatar offered a $20 Mn for the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI). The Qatar Development Fund extended $10 Mn to support the GAVI COVAX Advance Market Commitment with a target of producing 1.3 Bn vaccine doses by the end of 2021, GCO says. The state's flag carrier, Qatar Airways delivered nearly 20 Mn vaccines to various countries. An international fundraising campaign has also been launched in April under the Qatar Red Crescent to raise $100Mn to vaccinate more than three million refugees.
The charity support to various United Nations bodies this year alone adds up to $62.7Mn, with the contribution of $15Mn for the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, $10 Mn to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, $8 Mn for United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and $5 Mn for the Sustainable Development Goals.
Qatar became the first of the Arab countries and the sixth country globally to contribute to the United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund.
Qatar Airways Cargo also launched a '1 Million kilos' campaign which will transport 1Mn Kg cargo of medical supplies and humanitarian aid free of charge to eligible people from July to December last year. The campaign was the first programme initiated under Qatar Airways Cargo's sustainable project 'We Qare'.