The Pandemic Fund

Background

In 2024, a new strain of mpox was detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and began spreading rapidly across borders. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, underscoring the need for urgent action. The Pandemic Fund acted swiftly, fast-tracking US$128.9 million to support 10 countries affected by the disease, including US$24.5 million to the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration (GVTC). The grant enables the GVTC, which spans portions of the DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda, to contain the threat of mpox across the transboundary area. The grant leveraged an additional US$35.7 million in co-investment and US$15.5 million in co-financing. The project’s Implementing Entities (IEs) are the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UNICEF, and the WHO. 

The Greater Virunga Landscape (GVL) is rich in wildlife and fauna and has become a tourism hotspot. It also experiences frequent population movements driven by natural disasters, conflict, and insecurity in the region. Home to nearly 200 villages and camps for internally displaced people, GVL has one of the highest population densities in Africa. Close quarters and frequent interactions among humans and animals increase the risk of zoonotic disease transmission, while extreme weather events further amplify the threat of both zoonotic and vector-borne diseases. In addition to warding off mpox, the Pandemic Fund grant will help the GVTC mitigate these overlapping threats by strengthening the area’s pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR) capabilities.

The Pandemic Fund brings together a diverse range of partners to support the GVTC’s project. The project will be led collaboratively by the Ministries of Health of the DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda, along with the IEs. Additional stakeholders and delivery partners include the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Gorilla Doctors, the Institut Congalais pour la Conservation de la Nature, the International Gorilla Conservation Programme, the International Livestock Research Institute, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Rwanda Biomedical Center, the Rwanda Development Board, the Uganda Virus Research Institute, the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Veterinarians Without Borders, and the World Wide Fund for Nature.
 

Project objectives

The GVTC aims to protect both the communities living in the GVL and the local economy, which depends on and preserves nature. It does so by strengthening One Health systems and equipping workers to prevent, prepare for, and respond to zoonotic diseases with pandemic potential.
 

Implementation arrangements and key components

The GVTC’s project encompasses the Pandemic Fund’s priorities — surveillance, laboratory systems, and workforce development — and emphasizes multisectoral coordination and collaboration. Activities within each key area include:

1. Developing a multisectoral surveillance, early warning, and laboratory system with a skilled workforce. This component of the project focuses on assessing pandemic risks and identifying gaps in PPR. The GVTC seeks to establish a multisectoral, digital disease surveillance and early warning system (including mpox surveillance), while strengthening laboratory networks and infrastructure across the human, animal, and wildlife sectors, with an emphasis on remote or underserved areas. Key activities include monitoring viral pathogens in areas with high-risk human and animal interactions, strengthening One Health activities to better understand animal-to-human transmission and human-to-human transmission, and improving health screenings, sample collection and transportation, testing and sequencing capability, and biobanking. Integrating standard operating procedures for One Health-based PPR will be key, along with accelerating risk communication and community engagement plans for mpox and Marburg virus. Additionally, frontline workers and community champions will receive training on standard operating procedures, infection prevention and control, interpersonal communication, and gender equity.
2. Strengthening coordination mechanisms and policies to support PPR. Activities within this area include developing regional and district technical committees to mainstream the One Health approach while embedding gender and health equity considerations; supporting member states to bolster cross-border coordination and information sharing; and establishing community-based One Health teams to mitigate zoonotic disease spillover. Additionally, efforts will focus on building community support for primary prevention and resilience and enhancing PPR awareness and capacity within the tourism sector. This component of the project emphasizes coordination with the East African Community and African Union and the establishment of a regional One Health Centre of Excellence.
3. Engaging public and private sector partners. This component focuses on mapping public and private partners to mobilize resources. This includes efforts to engage with ministries to catalyze financing and with parliaments to incorporate One Health activities into tax and spending policies. The project will promote private sector investment in One Health-based PPR and work to establish a GVL Fund for PPR. There will be a focus on public-private-community funds and partnerships to help secure sustainable support.
    

Expected outcomes

By 2028, the GVTC’s project aims to: 

1. Build robust transboundary surveillance, early warning, and laboratory systems to detect and respond to threats with epidemic and potential across the human, animal (domestic and wildlife), and environmental health sectors.
2. Strengthen coordination mechanisms, policy frameworks, and multi-stakeholder governance to effectively implement One Health-based PPR strategies.
3. Encourage partners in the public and private sectors to invest in One Health-based PPR, ensuring long-term regional health security.