6 December, Beijing – 150,000 non-surgical protective masks donated by Fujian Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries arrived in Koidu, Sierra Leone with the support and coordination of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) Cities Project and the Fuzhou Municipal Government, and logistics support from UNDP China. The distribution ceremony was held on 1st December at the Koidu Government Hospital.
The Cities Project Team established a partnership back to the year 2019 with the Koidu City Council to conduct a field assessment and analyze the development needs in the city of Koidu. A pilot on sustainable waste management was launched in June this year through identifying the local priorities and challenges at the current development stage in cooperation with the Waste Management Team of UN-HABITAT.
Responding to the request to help the Koidu New Sembehun City Council (KNSCC) combat COVID-19, the UNOSSC Cities Project team reached out to a number of partners to mobilize PPEs – among them, Fujian Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries committed medical goods and funds and Fuzhou Municipal Government, supported this emerging need. This donation also aims to facilitate the implementation of the pilot on sustainable waste management and is a part of the ongoing efforts of the Cities Project to contribute to partner cities’ prevention and mitigation of the risks posed by COVID-19.
In the acknowledgment letter issued by the Koidu New Sembehun City Council (KNSCC), Mr. Komba Sam, mayor of Koidu, informed UNOSSC and the Cities Project team of the ongoing masks distribution status and expressed sincere gratitude to UNOSSC and Fujian Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries for supporting the people in Koidu in these trying times.
