A note released by the agency’s press office states that the initiatives are aimed at improving “prevention, preparation and response to pandemics in 32 countries, and to promoting global health security.”
FAO, together with other associated parties participating in these projects, are currently in the final approval stage of the proposals for their full implementation in early 2025. It is expected that more than 50 percent of the funds will be allocated to countries in sub-Saharan Africa, which are in greater need for subsidies.
The Pandemic Fund was launched in November 2022, during a meeting of the Group of 20 (G20), and is the first multilateral financing mechanism dedicated to helping low- and middle-income nations prepare for such health crises.
In May 2023, the Pandemic Fund closed its first call for proposals, with 179 applications from 133 countries, and on July 19th of that year the Board of Directors awarded a first round of grants totaling US$338 million.
Nations that will receive support from FAO in this second round include Burundi, Chad, Egypt, Ghana, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Pakistan, the Philippines, Samoa, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Tunisia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda, where programs to improve health security are being accelerated by focusing on the interdependence of human, animal and environmental health.
Multinational projects are also being evaluated for other nations in Africa, the Eastern Caribbean and South-East Asia, the report notes.
This round of funding is based on the same priorities as the first, related to strengthening technical priority areas such as collaborative surveillance, laboratory capacity and workforce development. It also aims to enhance intersectoral collaboration, as well as improve efficiency in pandemic prevention, preparedness and response efforts.
The new projects will expand the FAO Pandemic Fund portfolio to 33 initiatives, providing support to 45 countries for a combined value of nearly US$170 million, the source adds.
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