ALBA-TCP Airlift to Provide Pandemic Relief in the Region
The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA-TCP) approved on Tuesday, January 19, the formation of an airlift service for transfer of medical supplies and health personnel to provide relief for the COVID-19 pandemic in the region.
It was announced at a special meeting of ALBA-TCP held on Tuesday that this humanitarian airlift service will be established through the Venezuelan national airline Consorcio Venezolano de Industrias Aeronáuticas y Servicios Aéreos SA (CONVIASA).
At the meeting Sacha Llorenti, secretary of ALBA-TCP, read out a document that stated, “A humanitarian airlift will be established through CONVIASA that will allow the transfer of vaccines, medical personnel, medicines and medical supplies for the benefit of the people of the ALBA-TCP member countries.”
It was also highlighted that Venezuela has made available the country’s productive capacity for the manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, which will allow guaranteed distribution of vaccines to the member countries of the regional organization.
In addition, ALBA-TCP agreed to form a fund for the creation of a Vaccine Bank and a Medicines Bank in order to address the pandemic situation.
Moreover, the Bank of ALBA-TCP announced that it will provide $ 2 million to deal with the pandemic.
Humanitarian Fund and the Bank of Medicines
During the special meeting of the Social Commission of ALBA-TCP held this Tuesday, the member states of the regional bloc agreed to create a Humanitarian Fund and a Medicines Bank to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the Venezuelan state media VTV reported on its web portal.
In this regard, Llorenti also presented the announcements made by the Bank of ALBA-TCP, among which the following stand out:
- $ 2 million have been made available to provide economic relief to the Caribbean countries that are members of ALBA-TCP, allowing them to conduct negotiations with companies and third-party countries for the acquisition of vaccines.
- $ 1 million have been provided for the proposed Vaccine and Medicines Banks to guarantee access to medical supplies, rapid tests and PCR tests.
- The productive capacity of the Venezuelan State for the manufacture of vaccines has been made available and the distribution of vaccines to all the members of ALBA-TCP is guaranteed.
- A humanitarian airlift will be established through CONVIASA to facilitate the transfer of medical personnel, vaccines, medicines and necessary hospital supplies among the ALBA-TCP member states.
Featured image: File photo.
Translation: OT/JRE/SC
