COVID-19: An Important Update

The Kofi Annan Foundation continues to monitor developments related to the unprecedented spread of coronavirus COVID-19.

We share our heartfelt support and solidarity with the people, businesses and communities who have been affected by this global pandemic. We are optimistic that by working together we will curtail the spread of the virus.

The work of the Foundation is continuing, albeit in a different manner. We have taken seriously the guidance around social distancing and like many other organisations have moved our teams to work from home. We have cancelled or postponed our events, and in-person meetings have been shifted to take place via phone or online.

We will continue to work to support democratic and peacebuilding processes at this critical time. It is in just such moments of crisis that citizens must call upon and expect their governments to act in the interest of community health safety with integrity, fairness and security. Good governance is the heart of effective crises response. We will continue to work with our partners offering the support, solidarity and rapidly evolving tools which will help us promote democratic governance, peacebuilding and consolidation in our communities.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely, and adjust our actions as needed and grounded in the advice of the World Health Organization, and public health authorities in Switzerland, where the Foundation is based.

More information on the actions we have taken as a Foundation:

• Our donors and partners – operational and financial – have been made aware of any cancellations or postponing of events and meetings and other immediate impacts on our collaborations. If you have an event or meeting planned with a member of the team they will be in touch to discuss the next steps.
• We have ensured that staff have the technical capacity to work remotely and as such are prepared to continue our work towards a fairer, more peaceful world. We ask for your patience if some processes and responses take longer than usual.
• We are encouraging our staff to maintain their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing during this time, ensuring the team feel cared for and supporting as we work virtually.

Photo credit: CDC/ Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAMS