Emma Emeozor
In solidarity and cooperation with Nigeria amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Germany has stepped up its humanitarian assistance in the North East providing additional financial support of 26 million euros to the Federal Government.
In a statement made available to Daily Sun yesterday, the Germany Embassy in Abuja, said the country would continue to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa to support the Nigerian government with a view to protecting the most vulnerable groups as well as meeting the humanitarian needs of the people.
The Embassy said it is this desire that has made the German government to provide the 26 million euros for
the North East and areas bordering regions in Chad, Niger and Cameroon. Building on existing programmes and cooperation, Germany is providing over 8million euros to the United Nations World Food Programme, 7 million euros to the International Committee of the Red Cross, over 5 million to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and 3.5 million euros to Caritas
International and the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund.
Commenting on the need for multilateral cooperation and coordination, German Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas said: “The logic of the COVID-19 pandemic tells us that we either prevail over the virus worldwide or not at all. And our success will be determined not with us, but among the poorest of the poor.”
In the UN Security Council, of which Germany is currently a member, as well as in other UN bodies, Germany is pressing for UN organisations to play a leading role at global level.