UN launches Action Plan to fight against Covid-19 in Amazonia

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8 September 2020

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United Nations, Sep 8 (Prensa Latina) The UN and its humanitarian partners launched on Tuesday a Tri-National Action Plan for the Amazon region, which seeks to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in the border area between Colombia, Peru and Brazil.

According to the UN Secretary General's spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, 10.4 million dollars will be allocated to support the responses of those governments to the urgent needs of the population of the area over 2021.

This triple border region is home to almost 209,000 people, 57 percent of them indigenous, and has historically been neglected in terms of protection policies, he pointed out.

Currently, the spokesperson added, that territory experiences the highest Covid-19 mortality rates in the world. The UN Tri-National Action Plan and its humanitarian partners will emphasize the initial response in the sectors of health, food and nutrition, water distribution, sanitation and basic hygiene services, as well as emergency shelter.

According to a report from the official United Nations news website, the Covid-19 pandemic has a devastating impact on the Amazon region, both for its inhabitants and livelihoods and for indigenous communities.

Those indigenous populations, he points out, suffer extremely high mortality rates, including infant and maternal mortality, in addition to structural poverty and the lack of healthcare and basic infrastructure.

Due to the absence of medical facilities and the limited existence of tests to detect the novel coronavirus, it is estimated that the numbers of cases and deaths may be even higher than those recorded now.