Animal Husbandry Dept Gets $25M Grant From G20 Pandemic Fund

According to the  Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, the G20 Pandemic Fund has approved India's USD 25-million proposal for strengthening animal health security in the country for pandemic preparedness and response.

Established under Indonesia’s G20 Presidency in 2022, the Pandemic Fund finances critical investments to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response capacities at national, regional, and global levels, focusing on low- and middle-income countries.

Where will the fund be used?

The major interventions to be taken under the proposal include: strengthening and integrating disease surveillance and early warning systems; upgrading and expanding the laboratory network; improving the inter-operable data systems and building capacity for data analytics for risk analysis and risk communication. 

The other interventions include strengthening health security for transboundary animal diseases and India's role in regional cooperation through cross-border collaboration.

Implementing Agencies 

The project will be implemented in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as the lead implementing entity with the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Pandemic Fund  

The Pandemic Fund has been established by the World Bank in association with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in September 2022.

The fund has been set up to provide assistance to the low and middle income countries  to strengthen their preparedness and response(PPR) to the future epidemics and pandemics.

The fund will be used to build  and strengthen infrastructure in these countries so that they are better prepared to face the risks of future epidemics and pandemics like covid .

Till date according to the World Bank the fund has received a commitment of $1.67 billion from 24 donor countries including India .

Structure of the Fund 

The World Bank will serve as the Pandemic Fund’s trustee and host the Secretariat, which will include technical staff seconded from the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Governing Board of the Pandemic Fund will be advised by a Technical Advisory Panel headed by WHO. It will comprise leading experts to assess and make recommendations on the technical merits of proposals for funding, ensuring linkages to the International Health Regulations, as part of the broader global PPR architecture.

Union Minister for  Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying: Parshottam Rupala