FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Open Letter to Government: A Global Response to a Global Pandemic
OTTAWA, ON – April 6, 2020 – On behalf of over 180 organizations, the Canadian Council for International Co-operation (CCIC) and four partner coalitions presented an open letter to the Honourable Karina Gould, Minister of International Development, calling for international cooperation to be a part of Canada’s COVID-19 response.
“To keep Canadians safe, we need to address and eliminate the disease wherever it is in the world,” said Nicolas Moyer, CEO of CCIC. “By lending our expertise and support to communities around the world, we can defeat COVID-19.”
CCIC applauds the Government of Canada’s commitment to global engagement and cooperation to address the pandemic, including the allocation of $159.5M through Canada’s International Assistance Envelope. The open letter proposes further measures to help Canada’s fight against the global pandemic through an increase of Canadian Aid and the fast-tracking of funding renewals for multi-year international programs, among other proposals.
The international development sector includes over 2,000 organizations, employs some 14,000 Canadians on a full-time basis, and invests over $5 billion annually to support global sustainable development and humanitarian assistance. Like all sectors of the Canadian economy, Canadian aid organizations are coping with the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, while also working hard to ensure critical front-line services continue for the most vulnerable populations around the globe. CCIC and its members look forward to continuing to work with the federal government to support global efforts to address and contain COVID-19.
The open letter was sent in collaboration with the Canadian Association of International Development Professionals (CAIDP), the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health (CanWaCH), the Climate Action Network (CAN-Rac) and the Inter-Council Network (ICN).
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About the Canadian Council for International Co-operation (CCIC):
The Canadian Council for International Co-operation (CCIC) is Canada’s national association representing international development and humanitarian organizations. Together with our member organizations, CCIC seeks to end global poverty and to promote social justice and human dignity for all. CCIC is committed to making this goal a public priority and to encouraging the actions necessary to make a poverty-free world a reality.
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