Cross-border Coordination and Action for COVID-19: East and Southern African Religious Leaders call for joint action by states & government

NAIROBI, KENYA

Religious Leaders from Tanzania have assured their counterparts within Eastern and Southern Africa region that Tanzania is taking measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Speaking during a consultative forum hosted by the African Council of Religious Leaders-Religions for Peace (ACRL-RfP) on Cross-border COVID-19 Prevention measures, the Secretary General of the Interreligious Council for Peace – Tanzania noted that the authorities in Tanzania have begun efforts to ensure that their citizens take all COVID-19 prevention measures especially at border crossings to prevent disease spreading undetected at the porous common borders with neighboring countries.

Speaking at the same forum, the ACRL-RfP Secretary General emphasized that ACRL-RfP would continue to support Religious Leaders in the region to prevent spread and mitigate the impacts of the pandemic.

“We are currently supporting Religious Leaders in 23 African countries including ten in the region with financial and technical resources to respond to the pandemic” noted Dr Francis Kuria, ACRL-RfP Secretary General.

Some of the support is being given to equip religious leaders in messaging and communication actions to end misinformation and rumors around COVID-19 vaccines, prevention of violence against children and promote equitable distribution, access to and uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine once rolled out.

“We will work together to ensure that our communities accept vaccination as a means of preventing the pandemic.” Mr Bilali Ali, Interreligious Council of Burundi

ACRL-RfP, National Interreligious Council and Unicef Regional and Country Offices are working closely to accelerate support and response to the needs of religious leaders and their communities.