UN Photo /Daniel Getachew Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General (left), meets the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in the capital, Abuja Nov. 9, 2020. 

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

UNITED NATIONS –  NEW YORK –    UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed is on a two-week solidarity visit to West Africa and the Sahel to underscore the Organization’s support to countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.   Mohammed began her mission in Nigeria on Monday, where she met with President Muhammadu Buhari in the capital, Abuja.  Mohammed later joined the Vice-President, Finance Minister and UN colleagues to launch the UN Plus Offer, which will support Government efforts to address the socio-economic impact of the pandemic.  The offer seeks to mobilize close to $250 million which will be used to strengthen health systems and responses, and to build a stronger poor-focused social protection system in the country.    While in Nigeria, Mohammed also launched the UN Women Global Generation Equality Campaign, along with the Minister of Women’s Affairs.

Throughout her visit to the region, Mohammed will highlight how the UN has adapted its operations to support national plans for pandemic response and recovery, while continuing to focus on the root causes of inequalities, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.     “She will emphasize the sustainable development programmes that promote socio-economic recovery, gender equality, intergenerational leadership, resilience, climate action—as well as the delivery of lifesaving humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable”,  Dujarric said