The Pandemic Fund

Background

The Pandemic Fund was established as a dedicated, multilateral funding mechanism to support critical investments to strengthen Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPR) capacities at national, regional, and global levels, with a focus on IDA and IBRD countries.  The Pandemic Fund was formally established as a Financial Intermediary Fund (FIF) in September 2022, announced its first Call for Proposals in January 2023, and on July 19, 2023, the Fund’s Board approved funding allocations under the first Call for Proposals.  The World Bank serves as The Pandemic Fund’s trustee and hosts the Secretariat.

The Pandemic Fund is a collaborative partnership among donor governments, co-investors (countries and Regional Entities that are eligible to receive FIF funding), foundations, civil society organizations (CSOs), and Implementing Entities (IEs), including the World Bank, IFC, other MDBs; UN agencies, including the WHO; and other specialized global health institutions.  The governing and administrative bodies of the Pandemic Fund are
(i) the Governing Board, (ii) the Technical Advisory Panel (TAP),
(iii) the Secretariat hosted by the World Bank, and (iv) the Trustee.

As described in the Governance Framework, the IEs support implementation of Pandemic Fund-financed projects and activities by:

1. Administering the FIF funds transferred to it, including the use of funds and activities carried out therewith, in accordance with
   (i) its applicable policies and procedures and (ii) the provisions of the Financial Procedures Agreement and the applicable terms and condition under which Allocations to the Implementing Entity have been approved, including the applicable provisions of this Governance Framework and the Operations Manual; 
2. Conducting discussions with Beneficiaries of the FIF on projects and activities that can benefit from FIF support, as appropriate;
3. Providing implementation and/or implementation support to the Beneficiaries of FIF funding, as applicable;
4. Providing financial and progress reporting to the Governing Board through the Trustee and the Secretariat; and 
5. Cooperating on reviews and evaluations of the FIF under terms acceptable to the Implementing Entities. 

(Governance Framework, Paragraph 30)

Role of the Accreditation Panel

As outlined in the Operations Manual, the Governing Board will “seek to accredit other entities as Eligible IEs, subject to an accreditation framework” (par. 8).  Recently, the Pandemic Fund’s Governing Board approved an Implementing Entity Accreditation Framework, which sets out the criteria, accountability and decision-making processes for the accreditation of additional entities interested in serving as an IE for the Pandemic Fund.

As per the guidelines set out in the Accreditation Framework, the Accreditation Panel advises the Governing Board on whether an applicant entity possesses the necessary skills, capacity, and experience to effectively support the Pandemic Fund’s objectives as well as whether it has the necessary policies, systems, and procedures in place to become an IE.  The Panel makes recommendations to the Governing Board on whether an applicant entity should be accredited.  The scope of responsibilities of the Panel are outlined in Annex C of the Implementing Entity Accreditation Framework and include the review and assessment of Stage-1 and Stage-2 applications, monitoring and reporting, and administration related to accreditation activities.

Membership of the Accreditation Panel

The Accreditation Panel is comprised of three independent experts appointed by the Governing Board, although depending on the workload, the number of members can be increased to five.

The Pandemic Fund Secretariat is now seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from highly qualified and seasoned experts to join the inaugural Accreditation Panel.

Qualifications of experts

Interested experts should possess most of the following qualifications:

1. An understanding of the diverse range of actors across the greater public health and PPR landscape, at national, regional and/or global levels, to sufficiently assess the distinct and complementary roles that applicants could fill as an IE;
2. Understanding of topics related to PPR and public health, including some familiarity with International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) core capacities, and the World Health Organization’s Joint External Evaluation (JEE) tool, as well as World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) International Standards;
3. At least ten years of experience in related accreditation experience in some of the areas to be reviewed.  These include the fiduciary standards, prevention and investigation of fraud and corruption, program management, and the environmental, social, and gender safeguards;
4. Competence and experience in international development, such as with country programme administration, and project planning, execution, and oversight;
5. Experience at an executive level;
6. The ability to communicate fluently in English and have excellent written and verbal communication skills;
7. Working knowledge of other UN languages would be desirable; 
8. A university degree; and
9. A related professional degree or certification in public accounting, audit, finance, risk management, business administration, law, or related discipline would be desirable. 
    

Remuneration

Panel Members will be engaged by the Pandemic Fund Secretariat, hosted by the World Bank, as World Bank Short-Term Consultants (STC) and remunerated at a daily rate commensurate with their skills and qualifications.  STCs may work up to 150 days per year as per World Bank policies.

Place of work

Panel members are not expected to be located in Washington, D.C. for this assignment, however they may need to travel on occasion.

Term of engagement

October 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024  with possibility of renewal based on needs of the Secretariat and individual performance.
 

How to submit an EOI?

Interested experts are requested to submit a CV and cover letter to The Pandemic Fund Secretariat by email at  the_pandemic_fund@worldbank.org  by September 5, 2023 at 23:59 ET.  Cover letters should be no longer than 750 words and should clearly state your motivation for applying, your key competencies and describe how your skills and experience can provide value to the work of the Accreditation Panel, especially as they relate to the areas of assessment outlined in the Accreditation Framework  (i.e. Auditing, Accounting, Forensic Investigations, Risk Management and Oversight, Ethics, and Project Management; Social, Environmental and Gender Safeguards; and Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response).

*Originally published: https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/financial-intermediary-fund-for-pandemic-prevention-preparedness-and-response-ppr-fif/brief/call-for-experts-implementing-entity-accreditation-panel-members