Van Hollen, Murphy, Senate Democrats to Pompeo: Contribute at Least $500 Million to United Nations' COVID-19 Efforts

Statement

In response to the United Nations' $2 billion emergency appeal last week to help fight COVID-19, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and 15 of their Senate Democratic colleagues in urging the State Department to join the international community in funding international humanitarian assistance and protect the more than 70 million displaced people globally. Specifically, the senators urged United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to contribute at least $500 million to the United Nation's interagency emergency appeal issued last week to fight COVID-19 around the world.

"While all countries are struggling to respond to the outbreak of COVID-19, areas with existing humanitarian crises are particularly vulnerable and ill-equipped to tackle this global pandemic. Internally displaced people (IDPs), refugees, and asylum seekers often come from war-torn, fragile, and poor countries with little to no health care systems in place: a toxic combination that will make the scourge of COVID-19 particularly deadly," the senators wrote.

The senators continued: "The COVID-19 epidemic has devastated some of the world's best healthcare systems, and will surely wreak havoc on displaced people who are already living at a disadvantage. We urge you to join the international community in answering the call from the United Nations by contributing at least $500 million toward this lifesaving $2 billion appeal."

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