Vietnam has donated US$50,000 to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund of the World Health Organization (WHO) to support the work of the United Nations’ agency in the fight against the novel coronavirus disease pandemic.

Vietnam's Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Le Hoai Trung said at a handover ceremony in Hanoi on Friday that the Vietnamese government is striving to curb the epidemic and guarantee socio-economic stability for the sake of social security.

On behalf of the Vietnamese government and people, Trung also extended thanks to the WHO and other United Nations agencies, the WHO Vietnam Office, and the UN Resident Coordinator for Vietnam for their support and assistance in the COVID-19 fight in Vietnam.

The deputy minister said their help has contributed to further deepening the partnership between the Southeast Asian nation and the United Nations over the past four decades.

While Vietnam is feeling the impacts of the pandemic, its government decided still to contribute $50,000 to the WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund in a bid to help mitigate the adverse effects of the public health crisis, he stressed.

He called on the WHO to maintain its central role in leading and coordinating international efforts, meeting the aspirations of member states while offering further support to developing countries, especially those with weak healthcare systems, to cope with COVID-19 outbreaks.

Meanwhile, WHO Vietnam representative Dr. Kidong Park said Vietnam was among the countries taking the lead in medical diplomacy and thanked the Vietnamese government and people for their support for the COVID-19 response fund.

Park congratulated Vietnam on its successful prevention and control of the acute respiratory disease as more than 80 percent of COVID-19 patients have recovered, and no death has been recorded in the country.

He attributed these outcomes to the drastic engagement of the government, ministries and agencies, as well as broad public support.

Park also voiced support for the so-called "Four S" strategy proposed by Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh at a ministerial teleconference of the Alliance for Multilateralism on April 16.

The "Four S" strategy for COVID-19 fight — Solidarity, Share, Stop, and Stimulate — highlights the need for strengthened multilateral efforts of the global community to prevail over the pandemic.

The official also supported the country’s initiative to designate an international day of global solidarity in response to diseases.

Founded by the United Nations Foundation, the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation and the WHO in March, the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund aims to raise money from a wide range of donors to support the work of the WHO and its partners to help countries respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fund, the first of its kind, enables private individuals, corporations and institutions anywhere in the world to come together to directly contribute to global response efforts, the WHO said in a statement on its website.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!