April 30, 2020 — The Prince of Wales today called for the national Coronavirus conversation to include those countries where “the situation is most grave, where people are the most vulnerable and where this virus threatens to run riot and wreak utter havoc – if we let it.”
His Royal Highness, who is U.K. patron of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), noted that there are a record number of refugees and displaced people in the world today who are “vulnerable in ways few of us can imagine” and called the pandemic “a public health crisis the likes of which none of us has ever known.”
In a personal video message of support for the IRC’s front-line work responding to COVID-19 in the world’s most fragile and war-torn countries, The Prince said: “Even countries with strong governments and advanced health systems have been hit hard by this crisis.
“Imagine then – as the International Rescue Committee’s remarkable staff and volunteers know so well – just how desperate the situation is in those parts of the world where, instead of modern medicine and well-developed systems of co-operation, there is conflict and crisis.”
His Royal Highness, who himself recovered from the virus last month, highlighted the danger COVID-19 poses to communities affected by conflict and crisis, where basic mitigation measures like social distancing and hand-washing are nearly impossible and access to basic health services is severely lacking.
A new IRC report this week estimated that without swift action in coming weeks, the world could see up to 1 billion infections and 3.2 million deaths due to COVID-19 over the course of the pandemic in 34 crisis-affected countries where the IRC works.
In recognition of His Royal Highness's support of the IRC, The Prince of Wales has made a donation to the current COVID-19 appeal to help fund the IRC's vital work, which is focused on three areas: mitigating and responding to the spread in vulnerable communities, protecting its staff and ensuring the continuation of life-saving programming.
In the video, The Prince of Wales thanks the IRC’s staff and supporters for all the life-saving work they are doing, saying: “For my part, I could hardly be more proud to be U.K. Patron of the International Rescue Committee, a remarkable organisation which exemplifies the very best of the human spirit.”
Laura Kyrke-Smith, Executive Director of the IRC in the U.K., said: “We are immensely grateful for His Royal Highness’s encouragement and support as we work to slow the spread of this disease and adapt our programmes to ensure the needs of the most vulnerable, including women and children, are met.
“There remains a small window of time to mount a robust response to COVID-19 while it is still in early stages in fragile countries, which is why we are so grateful to have The Prince of Wales’s support at this crucial time and would ask those who can to join him in supporting our work.” The Prince of Wales, who became patron of the IRC in the UK in January, and The Duchess of Cornwall were due to join IRC president and CEO David Miliband on a visit to see the IRC’s work first-hand in Jordan as part of TRH’s Spring Royal Tour before the pandemic intervened.