The United States has allocated about $ 274 million to the UN to provide emergency medical and humanitarian aid to 64 countries in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

The funds will be transferred to the developing countries most vulnerable to a pandemic and will allow the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to help some of the most needy groups in different regions of the world.

“These new pledges include nearly $100 million in emergency health assistance.  It also now includes $110 million in new international disaster assistance, which together with our emergency health funding, will be provided for up to 64 of the most at-risk countries.  Importantly, our response adds $64 million in humanitarian assistance for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to assist in its pandemic response efforts for some of the world’s most vulnerable populations,” the statement said. “Since 2009, American taxpayers have generously funded more than $100 billion in health assistance and nearly $70 billion in humanitarian assistance globally.”

“The United States will continue to take action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.  This funding is an initial investment, on top of the continuing funding we already provide to multilateral organizations such as the World Health Organization and UNICEF.”

The Secretary of State also noted that on March 6, on March 6, US President Donald Trump signed the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, which includes $1.3 billion in additional US foreign aid to help countries around the world respond to this pandemic.