This week (8 June 2021), Poland delivered medical equipment and supplies, including facemasks, protective gloves and suits, to Iraq in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) and Poland coordinated this support made possible by Poland’s donation to the NATO stockpile.
The Polish Armed Forces Operational Command and the Polish Military Contingent in Iraq funded the provision, storage and transportation of the donation. The Polish Embassy in Baghdad supported its distribution, handing the protective equipment over to Dr. Adnan Jabbar Neama, the Deputy Director of Storage and Distribution Affairs Department of the Ministry of Health and Environment of the Republic of Iraq. Earlier this year, Poland delivered similar consignments to Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia, including sanitizing liquid and protective masks.
This support is part of the overall assistance Allies have agreed to provide Iraq to address the severe effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. NATO’s Pandemic Response Trust Fund is supporting the delivery of other medical equipment, including an oxygen generator, which will be delivered in the coming weeks. The NATO Pandemic Response Trust Fund maintains a stockpile of medical equipment and supplies in order to provide immediate relief to Allies or partners in need.