Health crisis support and boosting testing capacity

UNDP supported the Ministry of Health in Samoa to procure 2,000 Cepheid cartridges for its GeneXpert machine to be used for COVID-19 testing, especially for repatriated Samoans. 

UNDP supported the Scientific Research Organization of Samoa (SROS) to procure and supply test kits and equipment for COVID-19 testing. The equipment were procured by UNDP, in collaboration with UNICEF, to support the Government of Samoa address gaps in testing capacities.

UNDP, in collaboration with UNFPA, is supporting the Government of Tokelau to complete the refurbishment, equipment, and staffing of infrastructure to ensure the availability of adequate COVID-19 quarantine centres and isolation wards in the hospitals, and to strengthen the local health system capacity to manage COVID-19 cases, including through risk communications.

Social protection – supporting socio-economic recovery   

Conducting a Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 on Samoa in partnership with other United Nations agencies in Samoa.  

Conducting a Socio-Economic Impact Assessment in Tokelau to better gauge the situation on the ground and suggest longer-term solutions as part of establishing a social protection floor for vulnerable groups.

Providing funding to persons with disabilities (PWD) organizations to provide social protection assistance to PWD, through the procurement of food items, hygiene products, and COVID-19 information, education and communication materials on preparedness and prevention, distributed to PWD.

Supporting national–level production and distribution of inclusive and accessible risk communication for preparedness and prevention of COVID-19. Disability–specific information was developed and translated into accessible formats such as Braille, large print and sign language, and distributed to persons with disabilities throughout the country.

Supporting the provision of sign language interpreters at national broadcasts related to COVID-19, assisting PWD and the Government of Samoa to maintain an inclusive and accessible response.

Providing assistance to community-based charity organizations in the Cook Islands to provide food parcels and basic hygiene packs to vulnerable, poor and at-risk communities.

In partnership with the Spotlight Initiative, UNDP funded helplines for victims’ support and suicide prevention groups to help vulnerable women and children affected by violence/abuse in the homes due to COVID-related job losses and lack of money/resources.  

Enabled the local supply of critically needed items like face masks and hand sanitizers, to be produced according to WHO specifications, in Samoa and Tokelau, by funding the local production of these Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Conducting a Rapid Assessment of households in the Cook Islands to identify vulnerable households struggling to meet basics food needs.

Conducting Socio-Economic Assessment of the impacts of COVID-19 in the Cook Islands to determine welfare and employment vulnerabilities and perceptions.

Funding the purchase and delivery of food supplies to families in need in the Cook Islands and Samoa. Local suppliers, including bakeries and farmers, were also supported.

Green resilient economy – green jobs

UNDP, through the Green Climate Fund Vaisigano Catchment project in Samoa, is helping to provide green jobs through cash for work initiatives to unemployed locals. 

UNDP is supporting enterprise development of small agricultural businesses and developing a community-based adaptation strategy for ecosystem based alternative income generating activities.

UNDP is supporting the development of a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) programme, that offers alternative income opportunities for sustainable land management, and long-term sustainable financing options for conservation.

Training local population on alternative income generating activities, as well as providing resources for business incubation for entrepreneurial agribusiness and climate change and flood-related business options.

Digital transformation and innovation for business continuity of public service delivery

Procured 53 Zoom Software Licenses to help the Government of Samoa's Business Continuity Plan during the State of Emergency.

Procured IT equipment and software for the Legislative Assembly of Samoa to enable it to continue its operations (virtually) during the restrictions associated with the SOE.

Procured 25 Zoom software licenses to help the Governments of Niue and Tokelau to conduct normal business during lockdowns.

Supported the e-delivery of school curriculums in Samoa in light of SOE restrictions, fostering the adoption of ICT in everyday toolkits at different schools.

Leveraging digitization efforts to “build back better” upon the framework of an ongoing UNDP-UNESCO joint programme: Samoa Knowledge Society Initiative by creating more resilient, digitally savvy, and inclusive knowledge societies, capable of buffering risks in the face of current and future crises.

To mitigate local market disruptions caused by COVID-19, UNDP in collaboration with UNCDF, is supporting the scaling up of the e-Commerce Maua App adoption and access by marginalised segments such as women, rural communities and people with disabilities.