In many ways, the Pandemic Fund’s ability to speed $128.9 million to the mpox outbreak response in sub-Saharan Africa was a matter of auspicious timing. The fund was in the middle of considering its second round of proposals. Several of the countries hardest hit by the outbreak had submissions that could easily be modified to accommodate a specific mpox response.
The fund’s board was then able to quickly approve the funds to be used in 10 countries impacted by the disease. But what if the financing mechanism had not been in the midst of a funding round when mpox was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization in August?
That very question is why the Pandemic Fund’s board is considering adopting an emergency finance facility or window, when it meets today and tomorrow. The facility “would involve a much more simplified process to deal with such situations if we don’t have ongoing proposals,” Priya Basu, executive head of the Pandemic Fund Secretariat, told Devex. She said the board wants “to think about how to get better prepared for other future outbreaks.”
About the author
Andrew Green@_andrew_green
Andrew Green, a 2025 Alicia Patterson Fellow, works as a contributing reporter for Devex from Berlin.
