Supporting better health emergency preparedness and more effective responses
Given the urgency for stronger global health security and the need to help developing countries get better prepared for disease outbreaks, the World Bank Group established the new Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (HEPR) Umbrella Program to support eligible countries and territories to improve their capacities to prepare for, prevent, respond and mitigate the impact of epidemics on people.
The HEPR Umbrella Program provides financing to low-income countries and to countries with low health emergency preparedness and response capabilities. The program was set up earlier this year to support low-income countries and countries with struggling health emergency responses in building resilience and increasing investments in health preparedness – including their immediate COVID-19 response. It is an important tool in the World Bank’s pandemic response and longer-term health preparedness in countries that need support and their most vulnerable communities, including refugees.
Financial support is also available for countries that are unable to access regular for World Bank financing because they are in arrears with their payments to the International Development Association (IDA), and to Jordan and Lebanon for supporting Syrian refugees. Looking ahead, the program seeks to support more countries to meet critical needs.
Table of Countries Supported
Countries and Regions | Amount |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1,775,000 |
Chad | 4,100,000 |
Eswatini | 3,000,000 |
India | 3,250,000 |
Lao PDR* | 2,000,000 |
Madagascar | 2,900,000 |
Nepal | 4,000,000 |
Republic of Congo | 3,000,000 |
Samoa | 1,000,000 |
South Sudan | 1,925,000 |
Tajikistan | 5,000,000 |
The Gambia | 4,330,000 |
Timor-Leste* | 3,000,000 |
Regional support: OneHealth support in East Asia and Pacific region | 4,240,000 |
Regional support: East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Rwanda and Zambia) | 5,000,000 |
Regional support: Genomic Surveillance in Africa | 5,000,000 |
Amount for Health Emergency Preparedness | 53,520,000 |
Cambodia | 3,500,000 |
Guyana | 1,000,000 |
Indonesia | 9,160,000 |
Jordan | 1,250,000 |
Lao PDR* | 3,000,000 |
Lebanon | 3,000,000 |
Lesotho | 3,500,000 |
Liberia | 1,000,000 |
São Tomé and Príncipe | 3,500,000 |
Sierra Leone | 3,500,000 |
Solomon Islands | 3,000,000 |
Somalia | 3,000,000 |
Sudan | 6,500,000 |
Timor-Leste* | 2,000,000 |
Togo | 4,500,000 |
West Bank & Gaza | 3,750,000 |
Yemen | 3,250,000 |
Zimbabwe | 5,000,000 |
Amount for Health Emergency Response | 63,410,000 |
Total for Health Emergency Preparedness and Response | 116,930,000 |
To ensure complementarity with other funding efforts, this Trust Fund is closely coordinated with the IDA Crisis Response Window, with Japan’s Policy and Human Resources Developing Fund grants, and with the World Bank’s COVID-19 response financing.
Finally, the HEPR Umbrella Program aims to work collaboratively with other programs both within and outside the Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice that share similar, complementary goals including the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). The GFDRR and HEPR umbrella programs at the World Bank share a commitment to help countries prepare for and respond to unexpected and unforeseeable events.
For more information about the HEPR Program, visit www.healthemergencies.org