World Health DAY: THE COVID-19 Pandemic – Kuwait at the front line

This year, the World Health Day , is approaching during an exceedingly  difficult time for the whole world, in which  humanity is striving to win the war against the global health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic.

Firstly, would like to thank the State of Kuwait and the leadership of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah, HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah AlKhaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, for the generous contribution of a total of US$60 million to the World Health Organizations’ COVID-19 response fund ,. This makes Kuwait the largest contributor worldwide, to WHO for their efforts to combat the global pandemic.

As the Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Resident Coordinator to the State of Kuwait, and on behalf of the United Nations and its agencies, I  highly commend the Government of Kuwait for its quick and decisive actions taken to minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus, to the benefit of all Kuwaiti citizens and residents in Kuwait.

Prompt decisions have been made by the government to provide quarantine and containment measures to stop the spread of the disease. The government has also announced an amnesty period for the whole month of April, whereby they will sponsor flight tickets to residency violators who want to return home, with the exemption of paying any fines. We acknowledge these measures and want to ensure that those workers’ have full access to their rights for any unpaid wages and indemnity following international Human rights standards and decent work declarations that Kuwait has ratified and endorsed.

We look with great hope to more positive and constructive measures to support the needs of vulnerable people with challenging living conditions.

2020 is indeed an exceptional year, it’s the 75th anniversary of the United Nations and the ‘International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife’, and we the peoples of the United Nations want to pay tribute to their specific expertise and commitment particularly as nurses are in the frontline together with doctors fighting COVID19 together with doctors.

My message today is to extend my utmost appreciation, and wholehearted gratitude to all health care workers -- nurses, midwives, technicians, paramedics, pharmacists, doctors, drivers, cleaners, administrators and many others -- who work, day and night to keep us all safe. The Diplomatic Community in Kuwait and Ambassadors (please insert countries) who have joined the World Health Organisation safe hands Challenge and all doctors and UN Agencies Representatives who have contributed to raising awareness about how we collectively protect our community from this pandemic.

Additionally, I want to shed light on the courageous efforts and immediate professional response of the employees of the Ministry of Health in Kuwait, as they face daily challenges to ensure that all citizens and residents are provided with support and the adequate medical care...A great thanks and word of appreciation to Kuwait Ministry of Foreign affairs for their day and night work efforts.

Our world is in distress, and working together as governments, organizations and individuals, side by side will help our world get through this adversity this is the time to hold tight to multilateralism. We. should look at this as an opportunity to grow, prosper and continue our work together towards sustainable development for all and leaving no one behind.