H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, congratulated Mohamed Ali Nafti on his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration, and Tunisians Abroad in the Republic of Tunisia.

During a phone call today, the two ministers discussed the fraternal relations between the UAE and the Republic of Tunisia and ways to enhance them to serve the mutual interests of both countries and their peoples.

H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan expressed his wishes for Mohamed Ali Nafti’s success in his duties, affirming his keenness to work together to advance the efforts of both countries to develop and strengthen cooperation in all fields.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs&International Cooperation.

Following the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President, and as part of the country’s continuous humanitarian efforts to support other nations in confronting challenges and crises, the UAE has  dispatched several aircraft carrying Monkeypox vaccines to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, and Cameroon, to support their efforts to address and contain the outbreak of the virus.

His Excellency Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, Minister of State, said: “The support offered highlights the significant importance placed by the UAE on enhancing global humanitarian and healthcare efforts, and affirms the country’s steadfast commitment to assisting other nations during crises and disasters.”

His Excellency added: “The initiative reflects the UAE’s commitment to humanitarian values as part of its ongoing commitment to extend a helping hand and assist impacted communities across the world.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs&International Cooperation.

UNICEF today announced that it has issued an emergency tender for the procurement of mpox vaccines. Vaccines can play a critical role in containing the mpox outbreak which was declared a public health emergency by both the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The UNICEF tender is issued to help secure mpox vaccines for the hardest hit countries in collaboration with Africa CDC, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, WHO, the Pan American Health Organization and other partners. This collaboration to increase access and timely allocation also includes working together to facilitate donations of vaccines from existing stockpiles in high-income countries with the aim of containing the ongoing transmission of mpox.

Under the emergency tender, UNICEF will set up conditional supply agreements with vaccine manufacturers. This will enable UNICEF to purchase and ship vaccines without delay once countries and partners have secured financing, confirmed demand and readiness, and the regulatory requirements for accepting the vaccines are in place.  WHO is currently reviewing the information submitted by manufacturers on 23 August and is expected to complete its review for Emergency Use Listing by mid-September.

More than 18,000 suspected cases of mpox, including 629 deaths, have been reported this year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which is at the epicentre of the crisis. Four out of five deaths have been in children.

“Addressing the current mpox vaccine shortage and delivering vaccines to communities who need them now is of paramount importance. There is also a pressing need for a universal and transparent allocation mechanism to ensure equitable access to mpox vaccines,” said Director of UNICEF Supply Division Leila Pakkala.

“As we confront the ongoing Mpox outbreak, the timely procurement and distribution of vaccines is crucial to protecting the most vulnerable populations, particularly in the hardest-hit regions. This emergency tender is a critical step forward in our collective effort to control the spread of this disease. Africa CDC is committed to ensuring that vaccines are allocated swiftly and equitably across the continent, in partnership with UNICEF, Gavi, WHO, and other key stakeholders. Our unified response is essential to curbing the impact of this public health emergency and safeguarding the health and well-being of our communities,” said Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC.

“With several partners working on securing access to supply, today’s announcement represents an important step in this emergency, enabling UNICEF to purchase and deliver vaccines after Gavi and other partners make funding available and sign purchase or donation agreements with manufacturers for the most immediate dose needs,” said Dr Derrick Sim, interim Chief Vaccine Programmes and Markets Officer at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “Securing access to supply and financing, delivering doses, and in parallel ensuring countries are ready to administer them, are all vital actions that need to be conducted rapidly but thoroughly, and in a coordinated manner. We welcome this tender as another positive step our Alliance and Africa CDC are taking in this response.”

“A swift, coordinated, and equitable response is critical to controlling the current mpox emergency and preventing future ones,” said Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO incident manager for the global mpox response and acting Director for Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention. “All of us must act decisively now or risk allowing mpox to spread further and become an even greater global threat. In an interconnected world, the fight against mpox – as with other infectious diseases and health threats — cannot be waged alone., WHO is glad to partner with UNICEF, Gavi, Africa CDC, other partners and affected countries to get life-saving tools to people in need.”

The emergency tender is designed to secure immediate access to available mpox vaccines as well as to expand production. Depending on demand, production capacity of manufacturers and funding, agreements for up to 12 million doses through 2025 can be put in place.

Vaccines are one of several tools used to interrupt transmission and to protect children and communities against mpox. Africa CDC, Gavi, UNICEF, WHO, and partners are also prioritizing infection prevention and control, and risk communication and community engagement. As part of this, UNICEF is deploying personal protection equipment, diagnostic tests, medical treatment kits, hygiene supplies and tents to countries at the forefront of the crisis. These supplies support a host of medical countermeasures such as treatment, case isolation and surveillance.

UNICEF is the world’s largest single vaccine buyer, procuring more than 2 billion doses of vaccines annually for routine child immunization and outbreak response on behalf of nearly 100 countries.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has announced the signing of an agreement with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to provide USD 7 million in support of critical humanitarian efforts in Sudan and South Sudan.

The agreement allocates USD 6 million for UNICEF’s operations in Sudan and USD 1 million for its activities in South Sudan, further solidifying the UAE’s commitment to alleviating the severe humanitarian crises in these countries.

The ongoing conflict in Sudan has escalated into a dire crisis that is impacting children, with an estimated 13.6 million children urgently needing assistance.

The conflict has forced over six million people, more than half of whom are children, to flee their homes, making Sudan the epicenter of the world’s largest child displacement crisis.

This contribution from the UAE will directly support UNICEF’s efforts to ensure that children and women in Sudan and South Sudan have access to primary health care, sufficient quality water, and education through both formal and non-formal channels, including early learning programs.

Her Excellency Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation, said “The UAE is deeply committed to supporting the most vulnerable populations affected by conflict, particularly children who are bearing the brunt of the crisis in Sudan and South Sudan.

Through this agreement with UNICEF, we are reinforcing our dedication to providing life-saving assistance and ensuring that children have access to the essential services they desperately need.

The UAE will continue to stand by the brotherly Sudanese people in their time of need, working with international partners to address the urgent humanitarian challenges. This has most recently been illustrated by the UAE’s participation in the Sudan talks in Geneva as an observer, which aim to ensure the delivery of aid to those in need, especially to the most vulnerable.

In this regard, the UAE welcomes the movement of humanitarian actors and aid though the Adre Crossing.”

Over the past decade, the UAE has provided more than USD 3.5 billion in aid to the Sudanese people, underscoring its dedication to helping those in need during times of crisis. Since the outbreak of the conflict in 2023, the UAE has provided USD 230 million in humanitarian aid and dispatched 159 relief flights, delivering more than 10,000 tonnes of food, medical, and relief supplies.

Additionally, the UAE has built two field hospitals in Chad, which have provided medical treatment to more than 45,000 people.

Furthermore, the UAE continues to call for an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing conflict and an urgent halt to violence as a main demand.

The country stresses that there is no military solution, and highlights the importance of the warring parties working towards finding a peaceful solution to the conflict through dialogue. To that end, the UAE will maintain its engagement with all relevant stakeholders and support any process that aims to set Sudan on a political path to reach a lasting settlement and achieve a national consensus for forming a government where civilians participate and lead.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs&International Cooperation.