USAID Awards $1.8 Million to UNICEF for COVID-19 Relief in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina – The United States announced $1.8 million in COVID-19 assistance for Bosnia and Herzegovina through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to address vulnerabilities in the country’s response to the global pandemic.

USAID is partnering with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in BiH to help improve vaccine management, communication, tracking and coordination of the country’s response to the global pandemic. The project launched at a ceremony attended by U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Deborah Mennuti and United Nations Resident Coordinator Ingrid Macdonald, who witnessed the signing by USAID Program Office Director Savannah ThomasArrigo and UNICEF Representative Rownak Khan.

“With its emphasis on vaccine management, communication, tracking and overall coordination, this assistance will greatly improve the ability of Bosnia and Herzegovina health authorities to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, which will save more lives and help reduce the devastating effects of the virus,” USAID’s ThomasArrigo said.

“USAID has been one of the main donors for BiH for COVID-19 response and the agreement we are signing today is a testament of their continued commitment to support the health sector in BiH,” said Dr. Khan. “UNICEF’s response strategy builds on and expands the significant investments which have been made over the past years in supporting health systems at all levels, health crisis responses and draws on strong risk communication networks, especially for the most vulnerable communities,” she added.

With this new funding, USAID has now provided $11.2 million to BiH in COVID relief assistance since the onset of the pandemic using direct and redirected funds.

These efforts build on decades of life-saving work and U.S. leadership in tackling global health crises. Over the past 60 years, USAID has saved millions of lives from diseases such as Ebola, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and now COVID-19.

Diseases know no borders. The U.S. is committed to partnering with BiH to end the COVID-19 pandemic, mitigate its devastating social and economic impacts, and build back a world that is even better prepared for future outbreaks.