On February 15, the official launch of the Pandemic Fund project took place in Astana, QazMonitor reports citing the press service of the Ministry of Health.
The event was attended by Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova, the UN Resident Coordinator in the Republic of Kazakhstan Michaela Friberg-Story, the WHO representative in Kazakhstan Skender Syla, the executive director of the Pandemic Fund Priya Basu, and representatives of diplomatic missions.
The Pandemic Fund grant of $19 million will be used to address critical challenges in Kazakhstan’s public health system, including epidemiological surveillance, border control, laboratory safety, early detection and response, and staff training. The grant will leverage an additional $3 million in co-financing and $36 million in co-investments.
Grant activities will complement regionally-focused activities to be funded by the Pandemic Fund’s $27 million award for the multi-country Pandemic Preparedness and Response through a One Health Approach in Central Asia Project.
The project brings together a collaboration across government ministries, partners, and civil society groups, led by the Ministry of Health.
The Pandemic Fund, established in September 2022 and officially launched at the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, is the first multilateral financial mechanism designed to provide long-term grant funding to help low- and middle-income countries to increase their preparedness for future pandemics.