In collaboration with U.S. departments and agencies, the Department of State is releasing the U.S. Government Action Plan to Support the International Response to COVID-19.
In an offical announcment, the U.S. Department of State emphasized that: "Through the American people’s generosity and the U.S. government’s action, the United States continues to demonstrate global leadership in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic."
"The Trump Administration’s National Security, National Biodefense, and Global Health Security Strategies prioritize fighting outbreaks at their source", the announcment read, "An infectious disease threat anywhere is a threat everywhere, and we all must unite to fight this critical global health security challenge while ensuring we do not detract from the response in the U.S. homeland.
The U.S. Government will be delivering a comprehensive package of services to support its international partners around the world in combatting COVID-19. The “SAFER” package builds on current, substantial, and longstanding U.S. government global health and humanitarian assistance of over $170 billion abroad over the past 20 years, which has created the foundation for many international partners to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats, including COVID-19.
According to the State Department, the SAFER package will share U.S. expertise for global benefit, saving lives by improving international partners’ abilities to respond to the pandemic, while reducing secondary impacts of the pandemic.
"Together, we will recover stronger", the official statement notes, "The SAFER package is part of an All-of-America approach, leveraging the unique expertise, capacities, and mechanisms of various U.S. government departments and agencies to rapidly deploy and deliver essential support when, where, and to whom it is most critically needed".
The main goals of the progams are:
1. Save lives by improving countries’ and international partners’ ability to respond to the pandemic
2. Reduce secondary impacts of the pandemic
3. Promote U.S. leadership and share U.S. expertise for global benefit.
The State Department defines The United States as "a leader in this worldwide fight to slow the spread of the virus", but notes that "it will take global coordination involving governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, civil society (including faith-based organizations), the private sector, communities, and individuals to ensure that, through collective actions, we can achieve the maximum effectiveness and efficiency of our resources and response effort".
"We are prepared to help our international partners combat COVID-19", the statement read, "and will do all we can to ensure a world SAFER and more secure from infectious disease threats, now and in the future".