Investing in Tunisian health capacities in the Covid-19 crisis

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The corona infection rates in Tunisia, which have risen sharply since the end of 2020, reached record levels in mid-2021, leading to a critical situation in the already weak Tunisian health system. Due to overloaded hospitals, Tunisia had the highest COVID-19-related mortality rate on the African continent and in the Arab world. The current health crisis is in addition to the economic crisis, which has been exacerbated by the effects of COVID-19. At the same time, the political crisis of recent months has hampered the government's ability to implement a clear strategy to fight COVID-19. The project is supporting Tunisia in combating COVID-19 and mitigating the effects of the pandemic on vulnerable population groups with an additional EUR 10 million. The aim is to mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic on children's future prospects and to prevent the resulting learning gap from widening further by facilitating the return to school in the COVID-19 context. The German government's financial contribution includes the provision of urgently needed medical equipment, which supports Tunisia's corona health measures. Another key measure is the support of the Tunisian vaccination campaign through mobile vaccination units to reach people in remote regions. In addition, the Tunisian government's communication measures on the COVID-19 vaccination campaign and hygiene regulations in educational institutions are to be supported. The recipient of the funds and project sponsor is the UN Children's Fund UNICEF.