UN Resident Coordinator's Statement at the Second Humanitarian Partners Meeting on Eswatini's COVID-19 Response

It is with great pleasure that, on behalf of the United Nations and in partnership with NDMA, I welcome you all to this second Humanitarian Partners Meeting. As we seek to develop a collective, integrated and coherent Humanitarian Response to COVID-19, it is with strength, resolve and renewed commitment  that we gather here today: knowing that, together, we will win that race against coronavirus whilst ensuring that no one is left behind in our individual and collective efforts.

COVID-19 continues to engulf the world 2 weeks or so ago with 3.58 million cases worldwide and 252,000 deaths. Eswatini has seen a stark rise in cases since we last met, with 116 cases now confirmed including children and one (1) death. While globally there have been over 1.17 million recoveries, there have been 12 recoveries in Eswatini. These figures should serve as a testimony to us all that the virus can be beaten.

Solidarity, prevention, social mobilization, good coordination, and innovative partnerships are key to preventing any further spread and the devastation of COVID-19. We are here today, in solidarity, to enhance the coordination of our response, to improve prioritization and reduce duplications while ensuring that assistance and protection are provided to those who need them the most. To enhance our coordination, the UN will be honored to share with you, the OCHA 4W Mapping Tool: an online tool that maps the geographical presence of partners by sector and provides a graphical analysis of the number and type of partners in each sector.

It is critical that, with limited resources, we amplify their use in the most efficient and effective manner. Through our meetings of humanitarian partners, we hope to improve the effectiveness of our COVID-19 response by ensuring greater predictability, accountability, partnership and, in this emergency mode, timely services rendered to the most vulnerable.

In our last meeting, we explored the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic, hearing from most clusters updates on their priorities, goals, progress and challenges, NDMA shared with us the National Response Plan, highlighting utmost national priorities and identifying with us the most vulnerable groups and Eswatini most pressing needs and requirements to save lives.  

Today, we will continue our efforts in sharing information and firming up our humanitarian response. We will receive an update from NDMA and individual clusters on the National Response, Eswatini COVID-19 forecasts from the Ministry of Health and WHO, whilst establishing the ways forward.

We hope that, with the OCHA 4W Mapping Tool, the Government, partners, donors, implementing partners and the public will have a clear understanding of where resources are being allocated in the National COVID-19 Response. This understanding will help us to coordinate the COVID-19 response activities effectively and ensure that national needs are met without gaps or duplication.

Finally, I would like to stress the important role that we all have in this response. A coordinated response requires work at all levels and a holistic approach, an immediate response and long-term development plan, with a focus on recovering better. I look forward to our progress in today’s meeting.

I thank you.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Enhanced coordination is needed in all aspects of the nation’s response. The UN is working alongside the Government and partners to intensify communications on COVID-19 prevention measures and encourage EmaSwati to take heed of these important measures to curb the spread of the virus. This Public Awareness and Sensitization Campaign will train volunteers, of whom over 50 volunteers partook in training yesterday, to disseminate messages using megaphones fitted on vehicles, posters, and other communications material within communities. Volunteers are focusing on reaching the most vulnerable in the areas at highest risk of COVID-19.

We are in this battle together. I trust that we made much progress in today’s meeting. Thank you for your sustained dedication to beating COVID-19 in our Kingdom of Eswatini.