Assalaamu alaikum,

The United States has reached new milestones in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. We are experiencing a steady decline in the number of new cases of the coronavirus disease, and the percentage of vaccinated U.S. adults continues to rise. While it seems as if the U.S. is finally turning the corner, COVID-19 has upended the lives of families around the world and set back progress by decades. In regions like South Asia, the pandemic continues to rage as the demand for vaccines outpaces supply.

As part of IFANCA’s commitment to providing health security and nutrition equity globally, IFANCA is partnering with UNICEF USA to assist in this effort. Our role in this partnership is two-fold: IFANCA will provide financial support of $3 million for UNICEF’s role in the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, a global collaboration aimed at ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines through the COVAX facility. Through our global membership of halal certifiers, we will also support UNICEF’s global advocacy to build trust and acceptance of vaccines and use our influence to combat vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.

Our status as a trusted halal certifier and advocate for health security puts us in a unique position to amplify UNICEF’s voice in building confidence in vaccines. We want to help assuage concerns about vaccines in any way we can. As a result, we are forming a task force of strategic partners around the globe to reach vaccine-hesitant communities. Our network includes almost 300 halal food certifiers, as well as close membership with about 60 organizations around the globe. While vaccine supply is one of the most pressing issues, the vaccination effort cannot succeed if we do not get doses into the arms of the population.

UNICEF is the largest purchaser of vaccines in the world and has the experience and reach in promoting global health. Its procurement and distribution of necessary supplies and equipment for battling the COVID-19 pandemic will go a long way in countering the disease. We are blessed to be part of this global effort, and we are honored to have the opportunity to support and partner with an international organization like UNICEF, and play a part in this monumental task.

Though the pandemic is global, it has personally impacted each and every one of us. It has changed the way we live and forced us into a state of constant, heightened vigilance. As individuals, you are part of countless organizations doing their part to address issues heightened by the pandemic. We hope that you continue to support your organizations while also supporting the work of IFANCA.

We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel here in the United States, and we hope that other nations soon reach this point as well. We admire everyone’s efforts to combat the disease and are eager for the day when COVID-19 is no longer a constant threat. Let’s do our part to get there globally.

Sincerely,

Muhammad Munir Chaudry, president