Albanian                Serbian

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kosovo, in immediate response to COVID-19, handed over on Saturday, 4 July, the second batch of 20 mobile ventilators to the University Clinical Center of Kosovo (UCCK) funded by the governments of Norway, Switzerland and Luxemburg. These ventilators will strengthen the intensive care capacity of Kosovo’s health sector. Due to the current critical situation, ventilators were delivered immediately to UCCK as they arrived in Kosovo.

Ms. Maria Suokko, Resident Representative of UNDP, Ms. Ulrika Richardson UN Development Coordinator, H. E. Jens Erik Grøndahl, Ambassador of Norway, H.E. Jean-Hubert Lebet, Ambassador of Switzerland, and Ms. Natacha Gomes, Chargée d’Affaires at the Embassy of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, issued written statements to mark this, very important, donation.

 “Since mid-March, UNDP in  Kosovo has put the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in the forefront of all our efforts – by responding to the most urgent needs and supporting longer-term recovery. We thank the Governments of Norway, Switzerland, and Luxembourg for their generous contributions which has allowed us to buy this lifesaving equipment. We will continue to offer all our expertise and capacities to ensure that we work closely with our partners to support the people and institutions in Kosovo in times of crisis and beyond,” said on this occasion Maria Suokko, UNDP Resident Representative.

Ulrika Richardson, the UN Development Coordinator stated: “Since day one of the pandemic, UN Kosovo Team has been working hand in hand with institutions and people to mitigate the effects of COVID19. We are thankful to core donors and partners of the UN and their specially targetted contributions that has allowed us to bring needed life-saving health equipment and supplies to Kosovo. While our support strengthens systems, our approach always puts people at the centre with respect for human rights, equality and leaving no one behind. Kosovo will overcome the crisis, but it requires an integrated approach to emergency and long-term action and measures that facilitate compliance of institutions, businesses and the population. To quote the UN Secretary General: “we are in this together, and we will overcome it together”!

 “Norway is proud to continue its support to the government of Kosovo efforts against the Covid-19 pandemic with provision of urgently needed ventilators for hospitals in an unprecedented partnership with Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and United Nations Development Programme in Kosovo. While these interventions respond to emergency needs caused by COVID-19, it is worth noting that ventilators will serve for treatment of patients with other health conditions beyond COVID 19.  The number of COVID19 positive cases is increasing, everyone is at risk of infection if they are exposed to the virus, so let's follow the instructions issued by the public institutions carefully” said H. E. Jens Erik Grøndahl, Ambassador of Norway.

“We are happy about the handover of the second batch of these important equipment in fighting COVID 19. It will increase the capacity of the fragile health system to cope with the increased hospitalizations. In order to fight the recent resurgence of infections, we strongly encourage the Government of Kosovo to urgently implement preventive measures, such as the use of face masks, hand washing and social distancing, which have proven successful around the world,” reads the statement by H.E. Jean-Hubert Lebet, Ambassador of Switzerland.

Natacha Gomes, Chargée d’Affaires at the Embassy of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in her statement emphasizes: “Luxembourg continues to support Kosovo in this difficult time and these ventilators arrive at a crucial moment when we see a high resurgence of infections together with increased morbidity, putting a strain on the fragile health system. Everybody has an important role to play in trying to contain this second wave of COViD-19. While we provide support, we have to be able to count on each and every one to follow the preventive measures in place”.

Total contribution by governments of Norway, Switzerland, and Luxembourg is USD1,17 million toward the procurement of Vg70 mobile ventilators in partnership with UNDP. Through this generous support, UNDP procured 40 ventilators. The first 20 were delivered on 12 June and the remaining 20 were handed over on Saturday, 04 July.

Just how important this donation is, explains the fact that ventilators are not used only for treatment of COVID-19 patients, but also for treatment in other critical conditions. The ventilator is a machine that delivers breathing during surgery, recovery from surgery, and when breathing on your own is impossible. Thus, they will be widely used by the health clinics beyond the pandemic to save lives.

Working at the heart of UN Kosovo Team, UNDP in Kosovo has been supporting the people and institutions of Kosovo to prepare for, respond to, and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic since the outbreak, focusing particularly on the most vulnerable. We have rapidly shifted focus, responding swiftly and efficiently and reorienting our programme to assist Kosovo’s efforts to stop the spread of the virus, helping to protect people from the pandemic and its impacts, respond during the outbreak, and recover from the economic and social impacts in the months to come.

To learn more about our work to fight the pandemic, please visit our page: https://www.ks.undp.org/content/kosovo/en/home/covid-19-pandemic-response.html

For more information, please contact:

Burbuqe Dobranja, UNDP Communications Associate

Phone: (038) 249 066 ext. 410;   mobile: 049 720 800      e-mail: burbuqe.dobranja@undp.org

Danijela Mitić, Communication Associate UNDP

Phone: (038) 249 066 ext. 412;    mobile: 049 720 824     e-mail: danijela.mitic@undp.org