The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the French Development Agency announced yesterday and today the launch of the "Covid-19 – Health in Common" initiative, worth €1.2 billion, to support the fight against Covid-19 in Africa. Our associations and NGOs specializing in health are alarmed by the inadequacy of this announcement. We strongly condemn the fact that this is not additional money but a diversion of existing aid budgets, as well as the format of the response, with €1 billion to be provided in the form of loans, a solution that is unsuitable for the current crisis.
On March 30, the United Nations estimated that $500 billion in health donations would be needed to help developing countries contain the epidemic. "As the world'ssixth largest economy, France is far from meeting its commitment to this initiative, which ignores the scale of the challenges posed by this pandemic. We therefore urgently call on the French government to release substantial additional funding in the form of donations," urges Elise Rodriguez, Advocacy Director at Action Santé Mondiale.
"The virus has already claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people in just a few weeks and could push 500 million people into poverty if nothing is done, further exacerbating the already indecent inequalities in the world. This pandemic reminds us that health is a right and a vital public service that must be guaranteed everywhere and for everyone," says Cécile Duflot, Executive Director of Oxfam France.
" With the healthcare systems and economies of the poorest countries under extreme strain, and with the UN and African governments urgently calling for debt cancellation, it is inconsistent to respond with loans. The proportion of grants appears derisory in view of the health and social challenges," says Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, Director of ONE France.
The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs also announced during a hearing at the National Assembly that this support will take the form of a "substantial reorientation of our development aid."However, it is essential that the financial mobilization be additional to the current amounts of development aid. "Responding to the urgency of the epidemic will require the deployment of additional financial, material, and human resources in countries where health systems are very fragile. But we must not forget other health and development issues, which do not stop in the midst of a crisis—quite the contrary. It is essential to ensure the continuity of healthcare services and to support social protection measures to prevent the epidemic from causing further health and food crises," explains Dr. Pierre Micheletti, President of Action Against Hunger – France.
According to Florence Thune, director of Sidaction, "the poorest countries and the most marginalized and vulnerable populations are already paying a very heavy price in terms of global mortality. Every day, thousands of people die from diseases due to a lack of prevention, access to care, or adequate medical treatment. Vaccination and sexual and reproductive health services, as well as the treatment of malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, and malnutrition, continue to save lives every day and must be protected at all costs in order to avoid a major humanitarian crisis."
" It is imperative that states integrate gender into their responses to the pandemic: they must develop their responses taking into account the specific needs of women, including in terms of sexual and reproductive rights and health, and ensure that measures do not exacerbate gender inequalities," says Aurélie Gal-Régniez, Executive Director of Equipop.
France must learn from this crisis and finally reorient its development policy toward essential services such as health and social sectors, prioritizing in particular the reduction of inequalities between women and men. To be effective, the response must include the participation of local communities and feminist associations in the response to the pandemic, drawing on their experiences and expertise.
Currently, France allocates too little to health, less than 10% of its total aid and only 2% of the French Development Agency's activity. As Emmanuel Macron pointed out in October 2019, global health "is not just a question of money, but it is also a question of money."
Media contact: Louis GUINAMARD – Communications Officer – Equipop – guinamard@equipop.org – +33 (0)6 25 83 95 23
Notes:
- During a hearing before the National Assembly, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, announced on Wednesday, April 8, €1.2 billion for the fight against Covid-19 in Africa and stated, "At the bilateral level, we will take part in this effort by redirecting a substantial part of our development aid to health and food issues for nearly €1.2 billion." The French Development Agency later specified that this would take the form of a " Covid-19 – santé en commun " (Covid-19 – health in common) initiative comprising €150 million in grants and €1 billion in loans to address the short-term challenges of countries or public development banks that are partners of the AFD:
- African finance ministers have called on the European Union, the IMF, and the World Bank to support a massive debt cancellation program in the context of the Covid-19 crisis.
- On October 9, 2019, in an interview with the television program Quotidien, President Emmanuel Macron stated that the fight against HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria "is not just a question of money, but it is also a question of money."
