The WHO Health Emergencies/Strategic Planning and Partnership (WHE/SPP) team is embarking on a catalytic portfolio of work, designed to support countries with sustainable financing for health emergency preparedness, prevention and readiness for resilience (HEPR).

Work in this area builds on country efforts for the WHO and World Bank joint initiative on the Pandemic Fund. The Pandemic Fund was launched in 2022 to provide a dedicated stream of additional long-term, and catalytic financing to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, readiness and response capacity and capabilities in low- and middle-income countries. The Pandemic Fund will not and cannot meet global preparedness, prevention and resilience financing needs independently; instead, the Fund aims to complement existing resources and to serve a catalytic role, incentivizing additional investments by countries, donors, and partners. In 2023, 179 applications from 133 low- and middle-income countries were submitted during the initial call for proposals by the Pandemic Fund, highlighting the scale of need for additional financing in health emergency, preparedness, prevention, and response. 19 proposals benefitting 37 countries were funded by the Pandemic Fund. These projects, amounting to $338 million of grants, are expected to mobilize over $2 billion in additional resources, incentivize increase investments by countries, enhance coordination among partners, and serve as a platform for advocacy.

Countries are being encouraged to build on the momentum from the Pandemic Fund and develop national investment plans. It is envisaged that national investment plans will simplify the complex global funding landscape by consolidating multiple initiatives into holistic plans for investment. Once developed, plans will serve as the basis for domestic and external resource mobilization for health emergency preparedness, prevention, readiness, and resilience.