COVID-19: Team Europe gives Uganda UGX 737 billion to fight the deadly disease

Joint Statement of “Team Europe” in Uganda

An immediate contribution of 178 million EUR (around 737 billion UGX) to fight the COVID-19 crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic represents an unprecedented worldwide crisis.

Although the European Union is one of the most affected regions in the world, it is firmly committed to assist its partner countries in their efforts to meet the urgent health and humanitarian needs caused by COVID-19 as well as address its long-term socio-economic consequences.

Under the banner of Team Europe (#TeamEurope), European Union institutions and Member States are responding jointly to the COVID-19 crisis. Globally, Team Europe is the largest contributor to the fight against COVID-19, providing overall financial support of more than EUR 20 billion. In Uganda, Team Europe’s immediate contribution to the fight against the COVID-19 crisis totals 53 million euros (around 219 billion UGX) of grant support. In addition to this, Team Europe will be providing a total of 125 million euros (around 518 billion UGX) of concessional loans and new lines of credit in support of the private sector. Additional actions are being planned, to ensure continuous support in the months to come.

With this first contribution, Team Europe in Uganda will:

1) Contribute to financing Uganda’s COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan, focusing on the immediate sanitary and humanitarian needs. Team Europe has, for example, been helping provide personal protective equipment, PCR machines, extra test kits, mobile laboratories, infrared thermometers and other such equipment to support the frontline workers in their fight against the spread of COVID-19.

2) Provide continuous support to the Health and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene sectors. We will continue to respond to Uganda’s longer-term needs by helping reinforce the health system and provide quality water and sanitation services in a sustainable way.

3) Help mitigate the economic and social impact of the crisis, especially through supporting livelihoods and employment. Social protection is central to Team Europe’s response where we recognize the critical importance of supporting the most vulnerable in society and the refugees hosted by Uganda using existing channels to reach these people quickly.

Building on the success of the first Uganda-Europe Business Forum organized in February, we are planning a package to provide access to credit for Small and Medium Enterprises in the sectors most hit by the crisis. This package will also encourage further partnerships between Ugandan and European entrepreneurs.

Team Europe – who are we?

In Uganda, Team Europe consists of:

The Delegation of the European Union
The EU’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO)
10 Member State missions to Uganda: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden
Six Member State implementing agencies: ADA, AICS, Danida, Enabel, GIZ, Sida
European financial institutions: the European Investment Bank, the German Development Bank KfW, the French Development Agency.
Team Europe acts in close cooperation with the Government of Uganda and non-governmental actors, including the private sector, as well as the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s office and the field offices of the relevant international organizations, in particular the World Bank (WB) and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

At a global level, Team Europe coordinates closely with international fora (G7/G20/Paris Club) and with partners such as the WB, the IMF, the United Nations – in particular the World Health Organisation – and the Red Cross. Collectively, as a strong supporter of rules-based multilateralism, Team Europe remains the largest global donor and also provides the largest amount of funding to the regular budget of the United Nations. Team Europe also works with a large number of European non-governmental organisations to further strengthen our collective response.

How does Team Europe provide support in Uganda?

Team Europe provides support to Uganda through various means: we provide direct support to the Government, civil society and the private sector. Team Europe also finances United Nations agencies in Uganda as well as on a global and regional level, and it also provides funding to the UN Central Emergency Respond Fund and responds to the UN emergency appeals.

In general, Team Europe is one of Uganda’s main development partners, disbursing grant funding of over 430 million euros a year to the government, civil society and through the UN system.