The Pandemic Fund

Medium-Term Strategic Plan

The COVID-19 pandemic spread rapidly and resulted in up to 30 million excess deaths and $24 trillion in economic damage globally. It revealed critical gaps in funding and capacity for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR) around the world and showed that a disease threat in any country is a threat to every country. The acceleration of global trends that increase the risk of pandemics, such as climate change, population growth, widespread mobility, and antimicrobial resistance further underscores the urgent need to strengthen global health security through a One Health approach, taking into account the interconnection between people, animals, and the environment.

With this backdrop, the international community came together in September 2022 to establish the Pandemic Fund, a Financial Intermediary Fund (FIF) at the World Bank, to invest in building critical pandemic PPR capacities under the International Health Regulations (2005) and other internationally endorsed legal frameworks at the country, regional, and global levels, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries. The objective of the Pandemic Fund is to improve the world’s collective ability to prevent, detect, and respond to disease threats to stop them from becoming deadly and costly pandemics. Indeed, the large number of applications received in the First Call for Proposals confirmed the high demand for pandemic PPR financing through the Pandemic Fund.

Through this five-year Strategic Plan, the Pandemic Fund sets forth a comprehensive path toward a world better equipped to manage the threats posed by pandemics. By leveraging its unique position, prioritizing its resources, and fostering an environment of collaboration and inclusivity, the Fund aims to address the complex nature of pandemic PPR and safeguard global health security for all.