United Nations in Sierra Leone

The Sustainable Development Goals are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. These are the goals the UN is working on in Sierra Leone:

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04 January 2022

2022 – A Year to Put Sierra Leone First.

As challenging as last year was in further knocking developing countries like Sierra Leone off the sustainable development track, due largely to the devastating economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, 2022 promises to be no better. Among a complex of issues that portend a landscape fraught with major challenges in the year ahead, three issues should be of particular concern to leaders and key stakeholders in Sierra Leone. First, we are witnessing a strong resurgence in Covid-19 transmission around the world (Sierra Leone included). For low-income countries, there is now a high probability of prolonged economic adversities associated with the huge uncertainty around how soon the pandemic will be brought under control. With the majority of Sierra Leoneans yet to be fully vaccinated and an increasing number of breakthrough infections among the vaccinated and previously infected, the national Covid-19 response needs to be significantly re-engineered around a sustained ‘Do-It-All’ strategy. This must seek to deliver by year-end full vaccination for at least 70 percent of the population and foster broad adherence to Covid-19 prevention protocols around handwashing, face mask-wearing, and safe physical spacing. These are not unrealistic targets given, for example, the availability of significant supplies of vaccines to Sierra Leone. But they can only be achieved through strong, sustained leadership by the government as well as unity of purpose and well-coordinated action among all key stakeholders. We may all be tired of Covid-19 and its impact. But this coronavirus is not yet tired of us. For now, therefore, rather than talk about post-Covid recovery, the focus should be on containing Covid-19 transmission and sustaining inclusive and nature-positive economic growth in the course of doing so. The revamped Covid-19 response should be leveraged to strengthen the health system and the overall health emergency preparedness of the country. In addition, dealing with impact of Covid-19 offers a resetting opportunity for real transformation in economic policy responses towards protecting and improving livelihoods for the teeming population of young people and women in the informal sector, and investing in education, skills development, and infrastructure as the foundation for sustained economic growth and social progress in the years to come. Second, the long-standing weaknesses in the fundamentals of the national economy are likely to be exacerbated in 2022. The less-than-ideal trends in per capita income, consumer price inflation, foreign direct investment, current account deficit and the debt-to-GDP ratio could potentially worsen. The full impact of persisting Covid-related disruptions to key global supply chains, rising interest rates and liquidity crisis in major economies across the world would most likely be felt in Sierra Leone in terms of a huge fiscal squeeze, and high levels of food insecurity, youth unemployment and multidimensional poverty. Revenue and economic growth forecasts in the 2022 budget and expectations of a more positive macroeconomic outlook in the medium term would probably now have to be adjusted downwards. In this scenario, the government may have no choice but to institute severe austerity measures and to do a lot more to eliminate inefficiencies and gaps in the allocation and management of public finances. Within these economic management efforts, however, all hands must be on deck to ensure the ring-fencing of funding for key priorities around education, livelihoods protection, and health which are key to ensuring social stability and speedy return to the path of economic recovery. Third, the way politics is played in 2022 really matters. What Sierra Leone’s key political actors do this year will determine whether the country successfully holds elections in 2023 in a manner that helps to advance the process of democratic consolidation in the ensuing years. The signals from 2021 were not too encouraging as we saw more evidence of tit-for-tat than give-and-take politics across the landscape to the detriment of accelerated pursuit of the nation’s development priorities. We saw an unmistakable rise in political tensions in the land and louder expressions of anxieties about the democratic health of the country. These tendencies would need to be reversed in 2022 to lay the foundation for an enabling environment for peaceful and credible elections in 2023. Protagonists across political divides and political leaders of all shades at the national, regional, district, and community levels must always remember that two wrongs do not make a right and an eye for an eye leaves both parties blind. They must be ever conscious of the fact that conflict prevention is always far better than peacebuilding. Therefore, a recommitment to genuine dialogue between the leaders of the ruling party and the main opposition parties to address unresolved political grievances in a mutually satisfactory way before the end of 2022 is an absolute necessity. The country needs more than ever before to return to the path of inclusive politics that builds bridges across ethnic, regional, gender, generational, and disability status divides. In a country like Sierra Leone, political parties cannot continue to merely function as vehicles for winning elections. They must also serve as major contributors to the shaping of socioeconomic policies and governance processes so as to deliver enhanced life chances to all citizens as dividends of democracy. Continued failure to do so will only serve to weaken public trust in democracy and state institutions. The three challenges highlighted above are clearly interconnected vis-à-vis the social contract between citizens and their leaders. They require that leaders across all spectrums of Sierra Leonean society begin to demonstrate a commitment to putting Sierra Leone first that matches the urgency of the threats that they pose to the country’s sustainable peace and development. On our part, the UN country team will continue to work with other development partners to support the efforts of government, civil society organizations, the private sector, and other stakeholders in mitigating the socio-economic impact of Covid-19, advancing sustainable food and nutrition security, and expanding access to basic services for vulnerable populations. We will ensure that all our development efforts put the furthest behind first especially disadvantaged women, young people, and persons living with disabilities. The UN will also work with key stakeholders to directly support efforts to foster peaceful, credible, and inclusive elections in 2023. In all of this, we hope the leaders and citizens of Sierra Leone will find inspiration in the following extracts from the 2022 New Year Message of UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres: Moments of great difficulty are also moments of great opportunity. To come together in solidarity. To unite behind solutions that can benefit all people. And to move forward — together — with hope in what our human family can accomplish. On this hopeful note, may I on behalf of the UN country team, wish all Sierra Leoneans a 2022 that is better than 2021. In doing so, and with words from the National Pledge, it is my fervent hope that all Sierra Leoneans will work for the country’s unity, peace, freedom, and prosperity, and put her interest above all else throughout 2022.

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03 December 2021

At IVD celebrations: UN Resident Coordinator pays tribute to volunteers & emergency health workers.

United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr Babatunde Ahonsi today paid glowing tribute in recognition of the laudable efforts of all volunteers in Sierra Leone, including current and former UN Volunteers (UNV) and volunteer first responders and frontline health workers. Delivering the keynote address at an event marking International Volunteers Day at the Radisson Blu, Mammy Yoko in Freetown on Friday, Mr Ahonsi also recognised volunteers and other emergency workers who responded to the devastating Wellington fire disaster in November this year. He said volunteering was about giving, sharing, standing by others, supporting causes they care about and creating a better future for everyone. Volunteers are helping us to build back forward from the COVID-19 pandemic. The RC emphasised that when people are encouraged to get involved in solving problems, the solutions are more likely to be feasible and lasting. “Volunteers engage communities and build a people-centric movement to help build a better and safer future for us all,” he said. Representing the Director-General of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) at the programme was Mr Ronald Turay, a senior officer in the directorate of response and relief. He said volunteers at NDMA do so willingly with enthusiasm asking for nothing. Ms Liv Elin Indreiten, who now works as Deputy Representative with UNICEF, shared her experience working as a UNV in Guatemala between 1996 to 2000. Also, Mr Stevens Nabieu, a current UNV with NDMA, said volunteerism made it possible for him to visit the State House and sit in a room of 15 persons, including with the President of Sierra Leone. He said his role as a volunteer data analyst at the NDMA was critical to the organisation’s handling of the fire disaster at Susan’s Bay in March this year and the recent fuel tanker fire disaster at Wellington. The event was climaxed by current and former volunteers participating and winning prizes in the SDGs spin-the-wheel contest.

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02 December 2021

At 2021 World AIDS Day: UN Resident Coordinator calls for unity against inequalities and public health threats caused by pandemics.

On 1 December 2021 during the commemoration of World AIDS Day in Freetown, Sierra Leone, UN Resident Coordinator Babatunde Ahonsi called on Sierra Leoneans, particularly people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV), key populations, and other vulnerable groups, to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. He said that the threat of a more virulent, infectious, and deadly COVID-19 variant should be a matter of grave concern. According to the RC, the world is witnessing the fourth wave of COVID-19 in many countries, and in Sierra Leone, “it is sad to note that despite Government and Development Partners’ efforts to bring close to one million vaccines into the country, less than 10% of the population is fully vaccinated”. The theme for this year’s World AIDS Day is End Inequalities, End AIDS, End Pandemics, drawing attention to the underlying inequalities that fuels the scope, scale and impact of HIV, COVID-19, and other colliding pandemics. Mr Ahonsi said people should be committed to working together to create an equal and just society in which all Sierra Leoneans can live in an environment free from stigma, discrimination, and violence. “This is an important prerequisite for achieving the Human Capital Development agenda of the government”. He adds that it is also a precondition for all citizens to realise their full potential as envisioned in the National Medium Term Development Plan and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. “Together, we can end all forms of inequalities, end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 and end today’s and tomorrow’s pandemics. The time to act is now,” the RC underlined. He also recognised the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and the National AIDS Secretariat’s efforts in embarking on a cervical cancer campaign targeting 10,000 women living with HIV, female sex workers and other vulnerable population groups. “Like HIV, cervical cancer is a disease of gender and other inequalities. These two interconnected diseases starkly expose the links between inequity, social and health injustice. Ninety per cent of 311 000 cervical cancer annual deaths globally occur in low- and middle-income countries. Globally, 6% of all cases of cervical cancer are in women with HIV. Yet, evidence from Southern Africa has shown that 63% of all women diagnosed with cervical cancer were HIV positive,” the RC informed his audience. He adds that although the rates may be lower in other regions of the world and there is no reliable data on the situation in Sierra Leone, cervical cancer remains a matter of public health concern. In her keynote address, the First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Madam Fatima Bio, called for the barriers of inequality to be broken. “The biggest pandemic we have in the world today is inequality,” she said, underscoring that women and girls do not need validation from men but their cooperation. She informed the gathering that she would now be turning her attention to efforts around cervical cancer. A representative from People Living with HIV said that the commemoration is a moment for reflection and a moment to make new commitments on the fight against HIV/AIDS. She said that to end HIV/AIDS by the 2030 target, “we need to end inequality in all its forms. In his remarks, Minister of Health and Sanitation Dr Austin Demby said that the landscape has changed for those living with HIV/AIDS. “If you take the medication in good time and over a sustained period, you will live a normal life, and it is free,” he said.

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09 November 2021

UN Country Team pays solidarity visit to the Wellington fire disaster site.

Thirteen UN Heads of Agencies, Funds and Programmes operating in Sierra Leone led by WFP’s Country Representative and Resident Coordinator ai, Mr Steve Nsubuga, today visited the epicentre of last Friday’s fuel tanker disaster at Wellington, in the outskirts of Freetown. The collision of the fuel tanker, together with a truck carrying granite stones, has led to the loss of about 115 lives, with fears that the number may continue to rise. The team from FAO, IMF, IOM, UNDP, UNFPA, UNIDO, UNICEF, UNOPS, WFP, WHO, AfDB, UNFPA and the Resident Coordinator’s Office were received at the Incident Command Center by the Director of Response, National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), Mr Sinneh Mansaray before they were taken on a conducted tour of the affected area. Deputy Director-General of the NDMA Mr John Rogers briefed the UN Country Team about what happened that fateful night and the efforts that are being made to bury the dead and treat the injured. He recognized the effort that UN agencies are making through NDMA to support the Government. The Mayor of the Freetown City Council Ms Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, who was joined by her Deputy Mr Osman Koroma, said it was good to see the UNCT show solidarity to the victims and survivors of the incident. On behalf of the UNCT, Mr Steve Nsubuga said it was quite unfortunate that many young people, particularly Okada riders were reportedly lost in this incident. “Perhaps through their association, the Okada Riders should be supported to become champions of road safety- instead of leaving this entirely to the police and other authorities. In this case and knowing the extreme danger, it is those that most commonly use the road that should have taken the initiative to establish perimeters around the scene,” he said. The RC a.i said the UN commiserate with the family, relatives, and friends of the dead. He wished those in hospitals a speedy recovery and assured all that the UNCT is already engaged with the various national agencies in providing the necessary support and coordination in the aftermath of the tragic incident.

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08 November 2021

UN Resident Coordinator engages the furthest behind in Makeni.

A cross-section of female sex workers and vulnerable young women in Makeni City, Bombali District met with the UN Resident Coordinator (RC) Mr Babatunde Ahonsi, UNDP Resident Representative Mr. Pa Lamin Beyia, IOM Officer-In-Charge Mr. James Bagonza, and UNIDO Country Representative Ms. Mariatu Swaray on Tuesday, 2 November 2021. This engagement was held at a drop-in centre of Rofutha Development Association (RODA), a local partner of UNAIDS. During the meeting, the vulnerable women expressed their hope to become self-reliant and abandon the sex trade if provided with alternative means of livelihoods Lady P, an advocate and organization lead of sex workers in northern Sierra Leone, expressed her gratitude to the UN delegation’s interest to meet and listen to sex workers, as her group is often excluded from such engagements. Lady P recounted that her group has been left out from the recent distribution of bed nets, have not been invited to social activities, and most times, subjected to paying extra for healthcare services – which she believes, would be otherwise free. She also informed the RC and UN team of incidents of assault her group has incurred from authorities, particularly when they are arrested for loitering. RODA has trained over 200 women and girls involved in the sex trade within Makeni township between 2018 and 2019 on entrepreneurship and financial management, HIV prevention and positive living, and STI management. Ms. Hawanatu Kalokoh, another sex worker, said that while they were beneficiaries of RODA's vocational training programmes and start-up kits, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the number of women and girls in the sex trade, including some that were already positive deviants before the pandemic. In view of this, it will be impactful if more beneficiaries can be identified and supported. To ensure that RODA’s interventions are successful, the female sex workers highlighted their support including working as peer educators to get other young women off the streets of Makeni town and its environs. RODA Programme Coordinator, Mr. Aruna Rashid Koroma expressed appreciation for the interaction with his beneficiaries whom he described as vulnerable youth on the sidelines of the National Youth Summit in Magburaka. He indicated that RODA is working with sex workers because they are considered a core group for the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). "They also faced HIV-related gender discrimination, harmful gender norms, restrictive legal environment, low access to public health services due to related stigma, and violence," he said. The RC said he hopes that the conversation and response to the issues of sex workers would continue. "Their biggest desire is for viable alternative livelihoods, and there is no question that this would address many of the other issues they are facing." Mr Ahonsi also highlighted UN support to the most vulnerable communities, underscoring Outcome 4 of the UN Sustainable Cooperation Framework on Protection and Empowerment of the Most Vulnerable. UNAIDS provides support to address inequality gaps within the national HIV and AIDS response include technical input in resource mobilization from Global Fund and other donors; accompaniment of PLHIV and Key Population (KP) led organizations for proposal development; capacity building; and evidence generation on human rights, and stigma and discrimination which support advocacy and planning. These contribute to the design and implementation of meaningful interventions, leveraging of capacity within the UN Joint Team to ensure the effectiveness of the national HIV & AIDS response, and position PLHIV and KP organizations to directly implement and advocate for vulnerable people including sex workers. With support from the Global Fund, RODA is implementing a comprehensive HIV/STI Programmes with Sex Workers and their clients in the North-East and Northwest of Sierra Leone. The project focuses on community empowerment; condom and lubricant programming; legal literacy ("Know Your Rights"); HIV and HIV related legal services; stigma and discrimination reduction, reducing gender-related discrimination and violence against women and girls in all their diversity; human rights and medical ethics for health care providers; sensitization of lawmakers and law-enforcement agents; and community mobilization and advocacy. UNAIDS Country Director, Dr. Isaac Ahemesah said, “we have over 59 children living with the female sex workers in 2 brothels. Thirty percent of them are below 18 years and that SGBV and drug use is extremely high among them.” He also noted that HIV prevalence is 6.8 percent among the female sex workers compared to national average of 1.7 percent.

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Press Release

06 November 2021

United Nations System mourns with Sierra Leone.

Freetown, Sierra Leone: The United Nations in Sierra Leone expresses its deepest condolences to the victims of the fuel tanker incident on Friday night, 05 November at the Wellington Industrial Estate Area in the outskirts of the capital Freetown. The latest figures indicate that over a hundred casualties, including over 90 deaths have been reported, and that number is expected to rise. The UN family wishes fortitude and peace to the bereaved families, and the Government and people of Sierra Leone in this period of grief. Furthermore, as partners in the country's development aspirations, the UN family closely monitors the situation and stands ready to activate the necessary response to support the Government's relevant emergency pillars to respond to the Friday night fire disaster at Wellington.

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Press Release

14 June 2021

UN Women to host “Making Every Woman & Girl Count’ virtual meeting with Stats-SL and Min. of Gender.

Freetown, 14 June 2021— “Making Every Woman & Girl Count” (MEWGC), the flagship programme of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) will be presented at a virtual roundtable with various key stakeholders at 9:00 A.M on Thursday, 17 June 2021. In collaboration with Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats-SL) and the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs (MoGCA), the roundtable will be addressed by UN Resident Coordinator, -Mr Babatunde Ahonsi, Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, Hon Manty Tarawalli, Statistician-General, Prof Osman A Sankoh and UN Women Sierra Leone Head of Office, Ms Setcheme J. Mongbo. The meeting aims to inform intervention strategies on the production and use of reliable gender statistics for effective policy and will discuss the importance of gender statistics and its relevance to the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) in line with the Medium-Term National Development Plan, the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) Policy, and the Sustainable Development Goals. It seeks to address the urgent need to increase the availability of accurate gender statistics for effective monitoring of frameworks that will inform policies and programmes that will spur meaningful and lasting changes in the lives of women and girls. Globally, the Making Every Woman and Girl Count initiative aims to address inequality and promote human rights in development efforts, while streamlining the importance of women in the delivery of Agenda 2030. In Sierra Leone, it will support the achievement of the gender equality and empowerment of women by addressing the identified major challenges in a national assessment on gender statistics conducted in August 2019. Link: https://unwomen.zoom.us/j/96237196578?pwd=QXhEbTBhQ2ZlcWRkbHhkc3BaaXZ2dz09 Meeting ID: 962 3719 6578 Passcode: &x4G*pM Meeting ID: 962 3719 6578 Passcode: 6128203 For more information, please contact: UN Women- Ms Baindu Massaquoi, 076602214 baindu.massaquoi@unwomen.org Statistics Sierra Leone: Mr Samuel Ansumana, 076824852. s.ansumana@statistics.sl

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Press Release

05 June 2021

Government of Sierra Leone and United Nations to co-host High-level Dialogue on the ‘Integrated National Financing Framework.

Freetown 05 June 2021: The Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED), and the United Nations Systems in Sierra Leone, will be convening a High-Level Dialogue on the Sierra Leone Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF) at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Freetown, on Tuesday, 8 June 2021 at 9:30 A.M. The Dialogue aims at discussing the INFF and the way forward for enhanced Medium-Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) resource mobilization through various recommendations highlighted in the document. The half-day event will feature a keynote address by the Vice President of Sierra Leone, His Excellency Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh. Additionally, statements will be made by Dr Francis Kai-Kai, the Minister of MoPED, Mr Dennis Vandy, the Minister of Finance, UN Resident Coordinator Babatunde Ahonsi and UNDP Resident Representative Pa Lamin Beyai, followed by a high-level panel discussion with Q&A session. The INFF prescribes instruments and policies the Government may use to promote growth and resource mobilisation towards financing of the MTNDP and Sustainable Development Goals. It builds on a development finance assessment conducted during MTNDP development that scanned the financing landscape for a comprehensive picture of existing and potential sources of public and private finance and development finance, mapped trends, and assessed opportunities. This entailed a nationwide consultative process, bringing together experts in development finance, Government MDAs, Local Councils, NGOs/CSOs, and the private sector. The INFF presents 18 financing options resulting from the assessment and lists key stakeholders for each option as well as a timeline for implementation. At the meeting on 8 June, panel members from a broad spectrum of society, including development partners, MDAs, parliamentarians, and civil society will discuss how to implement, among others, the following INFF financing options: increase government tax revenues, promote investment by the diaspora, encourage public sector banks to increase private-sector lending, and promote the investment of pension assets in infrastructure. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) supported the Government of Sierra Leone for the development of the INFF and is currently working, along with the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), to support several MDAs in implementing INFF recommendations through a program funded by the global Joint SDG Fund. The hybrid event will be live streamed on Zoom beginning at 10:00 A.M on https://undp.zoom.us/j/82278854313?pwd=d1UvTW04NmxMdGJkU0xuanJ4TGJKdz09 Meeting ID: 822 7885 4313 Passcode: 573043 For more information please contact: Mr Mohamed Kanu, Communications Associate, UNDP: 077245031, Email: mohamed.kanu@undp.org, Mr Alfred Kabia, Press Officer, MoPED, 079174027 Email: akabia@moped.gov.sl Mr James Samba, Technical Assistant to the Minister, MoPED: 076743202, Email: info@moped.gov.sl, Mr Osman Benk Sankoh, Programme Communication & Advocacy Officer, RCO,030968909, Email: sankoh0@un.org

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Press Release

26 April 2021

United Nations Resident Coordinator congratulates Sierra Leoneans on 60th Independence Day anniversary.

Sierra Leoneans, unu adu o - una Kushe Kushe. Me na Babatunde Ahonsi, the UN Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone. On behalf of the over 700 personnel employed by 21 United Nations agencies, funds, and programmes in Sierra Leone, I would like to express my warmest congratulations to the Government and people of Sierra Leone on the country’s 60th Year of Independence. Celebrating the 60th year of the Republic of Sierra Leone today, 27 April, is a significant milestone not only to the country but also to its relationship with the United Nations, which began five months after the attainment of independence in 1961. Since then, the partnership and cooperation between the UN and Sierra Leone have strengthened, in a bond that is based on shared values and common interest. For most Sierra Leoneans and friends of Sierra Leone, today’s Independence Day anniversary should also be a moment of reflection—on the progress made thus far, including in addressing post-conflict issues, the twin shock of Ebola and a sharp drop in iron ore prices in 2014, the mudslide in 2017, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It is my fervent hope that this reflection would motivate action, particularly towards our common vision to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and actualize Sierra Leone’s aspiration to become a middle-income country. On behalf of the United Nations Country Team, I would like to convey to all Sierra Leonean citizens at home and abroad my best wishes for health, happiness, peace, and prosperity on this historic day. Babatunde Ahonsi UN Resident Coordinator

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Press Release

09 March 2021

COVID-19 vaccines shipped by COVAX arrive in Sierra Leone.

Freetown, Sierra Leone, Monday 8 March 2021 - Today, Sierra Leone received the first batch of 96,000 doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine shipped via the COVAX Facility, a partnership between the Government Sierra Leone, CEPI, Gavi, UNICEF and WHO. This is a historic step towards our goal to ensure equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines globally, in what will be the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history. The delivery is part of a first wave of arrivals of an initial 528,000 doses that will continue till end of May 2021. On 6 March 2021, COVAX shipped 96,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, licensed and manufactured by Serum Institute (PVT) Limited from Maharashtra, India, to Freetown, Sierra Leone, arriving in the evening of 8 March 2021. The arrival of this first batch of 528,000 doses will kick start the vaccination of 20% of Sierra Leone’s 8,000,000 population as part of the COVAX Facility in its unprecedented effort to deliver at least 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2021. This initial consignment of the vaccine and the immediate subsequent shipments will prioritise critical target groups such as frontline health professionals, vulnerable including the aged people and people with underlying health conditions. “Throughout 2020, our health facilities have been faced with the task of responding to the pandemic, while at the same time, working to sustain the regular essential services including providing maternal and child health services,” said Dr Austin Hinga Demby, Minister of Health and Sanitation. “The lifesaving vaccines which are now available for COVID-19, combined with the other important measures which we have adopted since the pandemic started, will afford us a good prospect to return to normalcy and to fulfil our obligations under the Universal Health Coverage programme.” “We are delighted Sierra Leone has today received its first COVAX vaccine doses and we look forward to the launch of the vaccination campaign in the coming days. Thanks to the work of the Government of Sierra Leone and of the COVAX partners, and with the support of our donors, we have been delivering on our promise to begin vaccinating vulnerable populations around the world delivering over 10 million doses to our participating economies in the last 10 days.” said Charlie Wetham, Regional Head, Asia Pacific and Anglophone Africa at of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “The arrival of this first batch of Covid-19 vaccines in Sierra Leone under the COVAX Facility is testimony to the power of global solidarity in response to a global health and development crisis. Strong international solidarity is similarly required to address other pressing global challenges such as the climate crisis that threatens the world’s quest for sustainable development,” said UN Resident Coordinator, Babatunde Ahonsi. “Sierra Leone is at a turning point in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic as the country has now joined a growing number of other countries taking one of the most important actions to safeguard lives against COVID-19 through vaccination," said Dr Steven Velabo Shongwe, WHO Country Representative. Deployment of the COVID vaccine should be seen as one of the critical measures that have to be taken in addition to the strict adherence to other public health measures such as the correct use of facemask, handwashing and social distancing. I wish to thank all the collaborating partners that are supporting this vision of equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines to reach the most vulnerable in Sierra Leone and the rest of the world." "This is indeed a momentous occasion, which is a culmination of various efforts led by the Government of Sierra Leone to ensure that this pandemic is brought under control,” said UNICEF Representative, Dr. Suleiman Braimoh. Furthermore, he said, “UNICEF strongly believes that vaccinations are cost-effective ways to reduce the disease burden in a country, save lives. As more people get vaccinated, the faster it will be for us to see a gradual return to normalcy and to better access to health, education and protection services for every child and their families.” Development and technical partners, including the European Union, Government of Japan, UK Government, the US Government and World Bank, are supporting the deployment and roll out plans of the vaccines in Sierra Leone. The vaccination will begin mid-March and will be rolled out in a phased approach. Health workers and people over 70 years of age being targeted first, while the second phase will include other essential workers such as military, police personnel, and teachers/university lecturers. For several months, COVAX partners have been supporting governments and partners in readiness efforts, in preparation for this moment. They have been especially active in working with some of the world’s poorest countries: those that will benefit from the Advance Market Commitment (AMC), an innovative financial mechanism to help secure global and equitable access for COVID-19 vaccines. This includes assisting with the development of national vaccination plans, support for cold chain infrastructure, as well as stockpiling of half a billion syringes and safety boxes for their disposal, masks, gloves and other equipment to ensure that there is enough equipment for health workers to start vaccinating priority groups as soon as possible. In order for doses to be delivered to COVAX Facility participants via this first allocation round, several critical pieces must be in place, including confirmation of national regulatory authorisation criteria related to the vaccines delivered, indemnification agreements, national vaccination plans from AMC participants, as well as other logistical factors such as export and import licenses. As participants fulfil the above criteria and finalise readiness preparations, COVAX will issue purchase orders to the manufacturer and ship and deliver doses via an iterative process. This means deliveries for the first round of allocation will take place on a rolling basis and in tranches. COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), working in partnership with UNICEF as well as the World Bank, civil society organisations, manufacturers, and others. COVAX is part of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, a ground-breaking global collaboration to accelerate development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. COVAX has built a diverse portfolio of vaccines suitable for a range of settings and populations, and is on track to meet its goal of delivering at least 2 billion doses of vaccine to participating countries around the globe in 2021, including at least 1.3 billion donor-funded doses to the 92 lower-income COVAX Facility participants supported by the Gavi COVAX AMC. Media contacts GoSL Contacts Harold Thomas: MoHS: Telephone: +23276602460 Email: health.education@mohs.gov.sl NaCOVERC : Solomon Jamiru Esq. solomonamiru@yahoo.com CEPI Press office Telephone: +44 7387 055214 Email: press@cepi.net GAVI Meghana Sharafudeen: +41 79 711 55 54 msharafudeen@gavi.org Evan O'Connell +33 6 17 57 21 26 econnell@gavi.org UNICEF country/regional office Sandra Bisin, + +221 77 819 2300, email sbisin@unicef.org Tapuwa Loreen Mutseyekwa, +23276100532, email tmutseyekwa@unicef.org WHO country/regional office Saffea Gborie, +232-76 777878, gboriesa@who.int Sakuya Oka, +242 06 508 1009, okas@who.int WHO global +41 22 791 2222 mediainquiries@who.int Quotes from partners and donors Since the beginning of this pandemic, vaccine makers have spared no efforts to speed up development, production, registration, and equitable access to of high-quality vaccines. Pharmaceutical manufacturers are committed founding partners of the ACT Accelerator and COVAX, and we are excited that for the first time in the history of pandemics, vaccines are rolled out in a coordinated manner quickly around the world. Another momentous effort is the scaling up of the vaccine manufacturing from zero to millions in a matter of months. As producing vaccines is a complex process, so with such a scale up, there are inevitably going to be challenges ahead; we will continue working collaboratively to find solutions and join hands in making history. Thomas Cueni, Director General, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) www.ifpma.org “Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturer’s Network (DCVMN) has strongly stood with all stakeholders during this unprecedented time of the COVID-19 pandemic and has strived hard to develop, manufacture and roll out COVID-19 vaccines in a record time span of 10-12 months as a part of global collaboration and solidarity. We stand together shoulder to shoulder in this endeavour” Sai D. Prasad, President, Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturer’s Network (DCVMN) www.dcvmn.org About COVAX COVAX, the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, is co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance Gavi) and the World Health Organization (WHO) – working in partnership with developed and developing country vaccine manufacturers, UNICEF, the World Bank, and others. It is the only global initiative that is working with governments and manufacturers to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are available worldwide to both higher-income and lower-income countries. CEPI is focused on the COVAX vaccine research and development portfolio: investing in R&D across a variety of promising candidates, with the goal to support development of three safe and effective vaccines which can be made available to countries participating in the COVAX Facility. As part of this work, CEPI has secured first right of refusal to potentially over one billion doses for the COVAX Facility to a number of candidates, and made strategic investments in vaccine manufacturing, which includes reserving capacity to manufacture doses of COVAX vaccines at a network of facilities, and securing glass vials to hold 2 billion doses of vaccine. CEPI is also investing in the ‘next generation’ of vaccine candidates, which will give the world additional options to control COVID-19 in the future. Gavi is focused on procurement and delivery for COVAX: coordinating the design, implementation and administration of the COVAX Facility and the Gavi COVAX AMC and working with its Alliance partners UNICEF and WHO, along with governments, on country readiness and delivery. The COVAX Facility is the global pooled procurement mechanism for COVID-19 vaccines through which COVAX will ensure fair and equitable access to vaccines for all 190 participating economies, using an allocation framework formulated by WHO. The COVAX Facility will do this by pooling buying power from participating economies and providing volume guarantees across a range of promising vaccine candidates. The Gavi COVAX AMC is the financing mechanism that will support the participation of 92 low- and middle-income countries in the Facility, enabling access to donor-funded doses of safe and effective vaccines. Gavi is fundraising for the COVAX AMC, and funding UNICEF procurement of vaccines as well as partners’ and governments work on readiness and delivery, including support cold chain equipment, technical assistance, syringes, vehicles, and other aspects of the vastly complex logistical operation for delivery. UNICEF and the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) will be acting as procurement coordinators for the COVAX Facility, helping deliver vaccines to COVAX AMC participants and others. WHO has multiple roles within COVAX: It provides normative guidance on vaccine policy, regulation, safety, R&D, allocation, and country readiness and delivery. Its Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization develops evidence-based immunization policy recommendations. Its Emergency Use Listing (EUL)/prequalification programmes ensure harmonized review and authorization across member states. It provides global coordination and member state support on vaccine safety monitoring. It developed the target product profiles for COVID-19 vaccines and provides R&D technical coordination. WHO leads, along with UNICEF, the support to countries as they prepare to receive and administer vaccines. The Country Readiness and Delivery (CRD) workstream includes Gavi and numerous other partners working at the global, regional, and country-level to provide tools, guidance, monitoring, and on the ground technical assistance for the planning and roll-out of the vaccines. Along with COVAX partners, WHO is also developing a no-fault compensation scheme as part of the time-limited indemnification and liability commitments. UNICEF is leveraging its experience as the largest single vaccine buyer in the world and working with manufacturers and partners on the procurement of COVID-19 vaccine doses, as well as freight, logistics and storage. UNICEF already procures more than 2 billion doses of vaccines annually for routine immunization and outbreak response on behalf of nearly 100 countries. In collaboration with the PAHO Revolving Fund, UNICEF is leading efforts to procure and supply doses of COVID-19 vaccines for COVAX. In addition, UNICEF, Gavi and WHO are working with governments around the clock to ensure that countries are ready to receive the vaccines, with appropriate cold chain equipment in place and health workers trained to dispense them. UNICEF is also playing a lead role in efforts to foster trust in vaccines, delivering vaccine confidence communications and tracking and addressing misinformation around the world. About CEPI CEPI is an innovative partnership between public, private, philanthropic, and civil organisations, launched at Davos in 2017, to develop vaccines to stop future epidemics. CEPI has moved with great urgency and in coordination with WHO in response to the emergence of COVID-19. CEPI has initiated ten partnerships to develop vaccines against the novel coronavirus. The programmes are leveraging rapid response platforms already supported by CEPI as well as new partnerships. Before the emergence of COVID-19, CEPI’s priority diseases included Ebola virus, Lassa virus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, Nipah virus, Rift Valley Fever and Chikungunya virus. CEPI also invested in platform technologies that can be used for rapid vaccine and immunoprophylactic development against unknown pathogens (Disease X). About Gavi Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunise a whole generation – over 822 million children – and prevented more than 14 million deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 73 developing countries. Gavi also plays a key role in improving global health security by supporting health systems as well as funding global stockpiles for Ebola, cholera, meningitis and yellow fever vaccines. After two decades of progress, Gavi is now focused on protecting the next generation and reaching the unvaccinated children still being left behind, employing innovative finance and the latest technology – from drones to biometrics – to save millions more lives, prevent outbreaks before they can spread and help countries on the road to self-sufficiency. Learn more at www.gavi.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners. About WHO The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing. For updates on COVID-19 and public health advice to protect yourself from coronavirus, visit www.who.int and follow WHO on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube About UNICEF UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org. For more information about COVID-19, visit www.unicef.org/coronavirus . Follow UNICEF on Twitter and Facebook. About the ACT-Accelerator The Access to COVID-19 Tools ACT-Accelerator, is a new, ground-breaking global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. It was set up in response to a call from G20 leaders in March and launched by the WHO, European Commission, France and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in April 2020. The ACT-Accelerator is not a decision-making body or a new organisation, but works to speed up collaborative efforts among existing organisations to end the pandemic. It is a framework for collaboration that has been designed to bring key players around the table with the goal of ending the pandemic as quickly as possible through the accelerated development, equitable allocation, and scaled up delivery of tests, treatments and vaccines, thereby protecting health systems and restoring societies and economies in the near term. It draws on the experience of leading global health organisations which are tackling the world’s toughest health challenges, and who, by working together, are able to unlock new and more ambitious results against COVID-19. Its members share a commitment to ensure all people have access to all the tools needed to defeat COVID-19 and to work with unprecedented levels of partnership to achieve it. The ACT-Accelerator has four areas of work: diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccines and the health system connector. Cross-cutting all of these is the workstream on Access & Allocation.

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