Sec. 303. Authorities

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In carrying out the purpose set forth in section 302, the Fund, acting through the Executive Board, should— provide grants, including challenge grants, technical assistance, concessional lending, catalytic investment funds, and other innovative funding mechanisms, as appropriate— to help eligible partner countries close critical gaps in health security, as identified through the Joint External Evaluation process, the Global Health Security Index classification of health systems, and national action plans for health security and other complementary or successor indicators of global health security and pandemic prevention and preparedness; and to support measures that enable such countries, at the national and subnational levels, and in partnership with civil society and the private sector, to strengthen and sustain resilient health systems and supply chains with the resources, capacity, and personnel required to prevent, detect, mitigate, and respond to infectious disease threats, including zoonotic spillover, before they become pandemics; and develop recommendations for a mechanism for assisting countries that are at high risk for zoonotic spillover events with pandemic potential to participate in the Global Health Security Agenda and the Joint External Evaluations.

The activities to be supported by the Fund should include efforts— to enable eligible partner countries to formulate and implement national health security and pandemic prevention and preparedness action plans, advance action packages under the Global Health Security Agenda, and adopt and uphold commitments under the International Health Regulations

(2005)and other related international health agreements and arrangements, as appropriate; to support health security budget planning in eligible partner countries, including training in public financial management and budget and health data transparency; to strengthen the health workforce, including hiring, training, and deploying experts to improve frontline prevention of, and monitoring and preparedness for, unknown, new, emerging, or reemerging pathogens, epidemics, and pandemic threats; to improve infection prevention and control and the protection of healthcare workers within healthcare settings; to combat the threat of antimicrobial resistance; to strengthen laboratory capacity and promote biosafety and biosecurity through the provision of material and technical assistance; to reduce the risk of bioterrorism, zoonotic disease spillover, and accidental biological release; to build technical capacity to manage health supply chains for commodities, equipment, and supplies, including for personal protective equipment, testing reagents, and other lifesaving supplies, through effective forecasting, procurement, warehousing, and delivery from central warehouses to points of service in both the public and private sectors; to enable bilateral, regional, and international partnerships and cooperation, including through pandemic early warning systems and emergency operations centers, to identify and address transnational infectious disease threats exacerbated by natural and man-made disasters, human displacement, and zoonotic infection; to establish partnerships for the sharing of best practices and enabling eligible countries to meet targets and indicators under the Joint External Evaluation process, the Global Health Security Index classification of health systems, and national action plans for health security relating to the prevention, detection, and treatment of neglected tropical diseases; to build the technical capacity of eligible partner countries to prepare for and respond to second order development impacts of infectious disease outbreaks, while accounting for the differentiated needs and vulnerabilities of marginalized populations; to develop and utilize metrics to monitor and evaluate programmatic performance and identify best practices, including in accordance with Joint External Evaluation benchmarks, Global Health Security Agenda targets, and Global Health Security Index indicators; to develop and deploy mechanisms to enhance the transparency and accountability of global health security and pandemic prevention and preparedness programs and data, in compliance with the International Health Regulations (2005), including through the sharing of trends, risks, and lessons learned; to develop and implement simulation exercises, produce and release after action reports, and address related gaps; to support countries in conducting Joint External Evaluations; and to improve surveillance capacity in partner counties such that those countries are better able to detect and respond to known and unknown pathogens and zoonotic infectious diseases. In carrying out the objectives under paragraph (1), the Fund should work to eliminate duplication and waste by upholding strict transparency and accountability standards and coordinating its programs and activities with key partners working to advance global health security and pandemic prevention and preparedness, including— governments, civil society, nongovernmental organizations, research and academic institutions, and private sector entities in eligible partner countries; the pandemic early warning systems and international emergency operations centers to be established under sections 210 and 211; the World Health Organization; the Global Health Security Agenda; the Global Health Security Initiative; the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UNICEF, and other relevant funds, programs, and specialized agencies of the United Nations; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI); and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. In providing assistance under this section, the Fund should give priority to low-and lower middle income countries with— low scores on the Global Health Security Index classification of health systems; measurable gaps in global health security and pandemic prevention and preparedness identified under Joint External Evaluations and national action plans for health security; demonstrated political and financial commitment to pandemic prevention and preparedness; and demonstrated commitment to upholding global health budget and data transparency and accountability standards, complying with the International Health Regulations (2005), investing in domestic health systems, and achieving measurable results. Governments and nongovernmental organizations should be eligible to receive grants as described in this section.