Presented by Data.org
The World Bank’s executive directors are meeting Thursday to approve a proposal to establish a new trust fund for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.
Many details of this new fund — which has over $1 billion in pledges, though the estimated financing gap stands at $10.5 billion — aren’t finalized and will be ironed out in the coming months. But an internal memo that Jenny and our colleague Shabtai Gold obtained ahead of the meeting provides some ideas of how it might work.
How will the fund be used? According to the proposal, focus areas of funding include building low- and middle-income countries’ capacities in disease surveillance and increasing their health workforce to allow effective implementation of the International Health Regulations. Support for regional and global institutions is another area of focus, as is technical assistance.
This is a preview of Devex CheckUp
Sign up to this newsletter for exclusive global health news and insider insights, in your inbox every Thursday.
What exactly is the World Bank’s role? The fund will be housed at the World Bank, but the bank won’t be leading it. There will be a governing board, and the bank can only act as an observer to avoid any conflicts of interest. Apart from being the fund’s trustee and secretariat, the World Bank is also eligible to be an implementing agency.
And what about WHO? The World Health Organization is one of the fund’s implementing agencies, too. Additionally, it will be involved in a panel advising the board on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. WHO staffers will be seconded to support the work of the secretariat.
Who else can access funding? Other multilateral development banks, the International Monetary Fund, and other United Nations agencies are eligible as implementing entities. The fund’s founding donors also want Gavi, the Global Fund, and CEPI to be eligible for funding — but that option is still subject to assessment.
Is everyone happy? So far, not exactly. While many welcome the creation of such a fund, there are many concerns. Civil society groups want a voting seat in the fund's governance. They also want access to the fund for regional organizations such as the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, which isn’t currently an implementing agency. Experts, meanwhile, want clarity on the fund’s priorities for financing, saying it can’t be a “health catch-all fund.”
What does the G-7 say? Leaders from the Group of Seven nations wrapped up a meeting this week, and their resultant communiqué expressed support for the establishment of the fund. But beyond that, some experts argue that not much was said or promised for pandemic prevention, ending the COVID-19 pandemic, or health in general.
“G7 countries seemed to have forgotten the lessons from the pandemic and should be aware of risks from deprioritizing global health issues,” Chatham House fellows Cynthia Liao and Theo Beal tell Jenny.
Read: How a new pandemic preparedness fund at the World Bank could work
Oh, and this too: Health, COVID-19 take a 'back seat' at G-7, experts say
Self-sufficiency
While the G-7 may have forgotten COVID-19’s lessons, many on the African continent have not. On Monday, the African Development Bank announced that it is establishing the African Pharmaceutical Technology Foundation. The aim is to bolster the continent’s pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing sector. The foundation will be based in Rwanda and operate independently of AfDB.
African nations import more than 70% of all their medicines, but AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina said, “Africa can no longer outsource the healthcare security of its 1.3 billion citizens to the benevolence of others.”
Read: African Development Bank sets up foundation to boost pharma sector
Doctor’s appointment
Tickets are still available for Devex World, which will take place both virtually and live in Washington on July 12. Among other esteemed speakers is U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator John Nkengasong, who will address the public health challenges the world is facing today. Get tickets here.
Background reading: Many have credited Africa CDC’s skillful navigation of the COVID-19 pandemic to Nkengasong in his previous position as the agency’s director. Devex Pro subscribers can read Sara Jerving’s deep dive into both his role and Africa CDC’s pandemic maneuvering. Not gone Pro yet? Start your 15-day free trial.
Domino effect
The U.S. Supreme Court revoked the long-standing constitutional right to abortion last week — and while the ruling only applies in the United States, abortion-rights advocates say it has global implications. The decision may embolden anti-abortion movements outside the U.S., limit funding for sexual and reproductive health and rights, exacerbate stigma, and stall legislation aimed at expanding access to safe abortions, according to experts consulted by Devex.
Their concerns are not unfounded. For example, USAID threatened to cut health funding from the Democratic Republic of Congo in response to a government effort to include safe abortion in policies on the medical management of rape cases. That’s due to the 1973 Helms amendment, which prohibits U.S. foreign assistance for abortions as a method of family planning.
Read: Bracing for global impact as Roe v. Wade abortion decision overturned
What we’re reading
COVID-19 vaccines averted 19.8 million deaths, but fewer than 1% of those were in low-income countries, according to new research. [Devex]
Retracted science papers — known as “zombie papers” — continue to be cited in journal articles. [Science]
Gunmen attacked a polio vaccination team in northwest Pakistan, killing one health worker and two policemen. [Al Jazeera]
About the authors
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
Amruta Byatnalamrutabyatnal
Amruta Byatnal is a Senior Editor at Devex where she edits coverage on global development, humanitarian crises and international aid. She writes Devex CheckUp, a weekly newsletter on the latest developments in global health. Previously, she worked for News Deeply in the United States, and The Hindu in India. She is a graduate of Cornell University where she studied international development. She is currently based in New Delhi.
