Dubai: Emirates SkyCargo has signed an agreement with UNICEF to prioritize the transportation of COVID-19 vaccines, essential medicines and medical devices to combat the pandemic.
The initiative announced today, comes in the latest series of measures taken by the Emirates Airlines cargo department to support global communities in their efforts to recover from the devastating effects of the “Covid-19” pandemic.
The UNICEF-led “Humanitarian Air Transport Initiative” brings together a number of partners who have the potential to distribute essential supplies to more than 100 markets to support the COVAX Facility, the global initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. The UNICEF initiative also serves as a guide for collective global partnership in facing future health and humanitarian crises.
Nabil Sultan, Senior Vice President of Emirates Airlines Cargo said: “The faster societies access to Covid-19 vaccines, the more fruitful their efforts are to limit the spread of the virus and recover. Our partnership with UNICEF constitutes another step for setting priorities and facilitating the rapid and safe movement of Covid-19 vaccines, especially to the most affected communities. ”
In October 2020, Emirates SkyCargo announced the establishment of the largest air center in the world dedicated to storing and distributing COVID-19 vaccines approved by the European Union, and with more than 15 thousand square meters of available storage space for vaccines.
In January 2021Emirates SkyCargo collaboraed with three other entities based in Dubai (DP World, International Humanitarian City and Dubai Airports), to launch an initiative to transfer, store and accelerate the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines around the world.