Global fund launched for COVID-19 pandemic

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UNITED NATIONS - The World Health Organization's chief launched a global fund on Friday to raise money to help the world's nations respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying "every dollar donated is a dollar towards saving lives."

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "Funds raised will be used to coordinate the response, to buy masks, gloves, gowns and goggles for health workers, to buy diagnostic tests, to improve surveillance, and to invest in research and development." [Click here to listen to audio of the press conference.]

He said WHO is partnering with the U.N. Foundation and the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation, which will host the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

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The fund will be raising money from companies, foundations and individuals and said it already has lined up major support, including Facebook and Google, which have instituted matching schemes for donations through their platforms. Individuals can also support the fund through COVID19ResponseFund.org.

The WHO director-general also thanked the countries that have supported WHO's Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan, including Japan, which this week contributed $155 million.