Ministries, WFP sign a 20M Birr agreement in response to COVID 19

Addis Ababa, June 13, 2020 (FBC) – Ministries of Labor and Social Affairs and Urban Development and Construction have signed a 20 Million Birr humanitarian support with United Nations World Food Program in response to coronavirus pandemic.

The agreement is aimed to deliver humanitarian support through the Urban Productive Safety Net Project (UPSNP) to meet immediate needs of the vulnerable population who are negatively impacted by COVID 19 in the country.

The agreement, which plans to support over 17, 000 pregnant and lactating mothers through the urban productive safety net project was signed by Dr. Ergogie Tesfaye, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Engineer Aisha Mohammed, Minister of Urban Development and Construction and Dr. Steven Were Omanmo, WFP country representative.

The urban Productive Safety Net Program which has been integrated with the agreement will be effective from July to December 2020.

During the signing ceremony, Dr. Steven Were Omamo, WFP Country Representative, said the humanitarian response for people affected by the coronavirus crises is a matter of life saving.

Engineer Aisha Mohammed, at the event, said the support to the project clients will help pregnant and lactating mothers to survive the pandemic.

Dr. ErgogieTesfaye, to her part, stressed social protection is a strategic way out to reduce extreme poverty and hunger, minimize shocks, mitigate risks and promote self-reliance at individual and household levels.

The agreement will bring about a difference in the lives of the mothers and their newborn in the fight against the pandemic,

Ethiopia has put in place different policy and program interventions such as the National Policy and Strategy for Disaster Risk Management, Social Protection Policy, and the National Nutrition Program to protect the vulnerable ones from natural and manmade calamities, Dr. Ergogie added.

UNICEF and ministries have so far signed yesterday over 116 million Birr agreement to support vulnerable people through the Urban Productive Safety Net Programme.