06/10/2020
An exercise coordinated by FIIAPP and led by the EU delegation for European cooperation to combat Covid in a global and systematic way
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on health, society and the economy worldwide. It is a global threat that increases inequality and this requires action, also on a global level, through international cooperation. To this end, the European Union (EU) and the member states have launched a comprehensive response to the pandemic under the slogan Team Europe.
In line with the Team Europe approach, the European Union has launched an initiative called Covid Round Tables for the identification and structured prioritisation of immediate reconstruction needs in partner countries.
The Covid Round Tables are to begin with three pilot experiences with the public administrations in Argentina, Ecuador and Costa Rica. It is an exercise to identify the demands arising from the health emergency, prioritise them in a joint exercise and channel them in a structured and coordinated manner. The aim is to carry out a sample of the activities, demonstrating the dynamics and results of these round tables, in order to then favour their alignment with Covid-19 strategies in other countries.
Two implementing agencies from the member states are coordinating the pilot round tables together with the delegations from the EU (DUE) in each country. FIIAPP is managing the exercises in Costa Rica and Ecuador and the International Italian-Latin American Organisation ( IILA) those in Argentina.
The first Covid Round Table was held in Ecuador, at which high-level representatives from the Government of Ecuador participated, including from the Presidential Office, the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility; along with the European Union Delegation; European cooperation agencies and some cooperation projects with a presence in the country.
It is expected that the Covid Round Tables, in coordination with other EU-funded projects in the countries (including EUROsociAL+, EUROCLIMA+, EL PAcCTO, Bridging the Gap and Eurofront) as well as the bilateral cooperation actions by the EU member states in the country, among others, will allow the identification of the next steps to be taken in the countries where they are carried out. In addition, it is hoped the necessary measures to combat the pandemic can be planned and implemented to mitigate its most immediate socioeconomic consequences.
