Avian Influenza and the Pandemic Threat

Agencies’ Achievements (against outputs and activities indicated in the logframe)

4.1:  High level national leadership in the response to AHI

4.2:  Assistance to national governments in their coordinated response to AHI

49. Acknowledging the fact that Avian Influenza threats require cross-sectoral and multi-disciplinary interventions, governments have increasingly called upon UNDP’s assistance to formulate, in collaboration with the UN country teams under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator, joint UN/Government programmes as a basis for international and domestic resources mobilization. UNDP has been building capacities to better respond to the threat posed by avian influenza by supporting coordinated inter-agency and inter-ministerial AHI preparedness and response plans, as well as the design and implementation of multi-sectoral response mechanisms. To date, UNDP has facilitated (sub)regional, ministerial AHI meetings in Africa and in Eastern Europe, while 39 countries have received UNDP support. In particular UNDP has provided unified UN System efforts, led by Resident Coordinators, in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR and Viet Nam and Egypt. It has also assisted in the preparation of joint UN/Government AHI programmes in Cameroon, Cambodia, Nigeria and Viet Nam and has been actively involved in strengthening the governance aspects of Nigeria’s response to AHI. UNDP is now posting Inter-Agency Coordinators in selected countries such as Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Niger, to support the Resident Coordinators in coordination efforts and consolidating National Strategies and Sectoral Implementation Plans. These Inter-Agency Coordinators will work closely with the UN Country Teams, UNSIC and the Pandemic Influenza Contingency (PIC) Team.  

50. OCHA, through the PIC team, has now 7 Regional Planning Officers posted in Geneva for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Bangkok for Asia and Pacific, Panama for Latin America and the Caribbean, Nairobi for Central and East Africa, Johannesburg for Southern Africa, Dakar for West Africa and Cairo for the Middle East and North Africa. These Officers assist UN country teams and countries of their region to prepare and plan for a pandemic in a coordinated manner. They also have helped to bring together actors working on avian influenza and pandemic preparedness and establish interagency regional platforms which meet regularly in Southern Africa, West Africa and Asia to coordinate activities, agree on priority needs, and mobilize technical assistance. WFP has been using these platforms and UN Country Teams to advocate for the consideration of food security issues in pandemic planning and preparedness.

4.3 National, regional and international coordination

51. Due to the multi-sectoral nature of the response to avian and pandemic influenza threats, the need for effective coordination is most appreciated by partners. Similarly, there is recognition that emphasis should be placed on sustained in-country support and capacity development while enhancing regional and global efforts aimed at improving coordination. As the volume and diversity of external technical and financial assistance increased rapidly in countries, governments, regional bodies and the international community sought well-coordinated UN system action, linked closely to the work of the development banks (especially the World Bank).

52. UNSIC has promoted and catalysed synergy of action and outcomes - within and outside the UN system. It has encouraged a large number of national, regional and international stakeholders from the public sector, private entities and civil society to work together in countries, regionally and globally towards a common purpose and to come together as a coherent and results-oriented movement. The coordination effort of UNSIC has established ways in which the UN, World Bank and other bodies can work together within this wider movement that links efforts to contain avian influenza and preparedness for an influenza pandemic with other development, humanitarian and disaster preparedness activities: such mainstreaming will contribute to the sustainability of this effort.

53. UNSIC has mandated an independent study based on rapid assessment of factors leading to effective and efficient coordination in Cambodia, Egypt, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and Viet Nam. Finalized in December 2006, the Study on Coordination of Avian and Human Influenza Activities  proposes nine guiding principles and recommendations for a coordinated approach to external assistance at country level. UNSIC is following up on these principles and recommendations by developing coordination tools.

54. High-level inter-governmental meetings involving the International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza (IPAPI) have been providing political backing for integrated national influenza programmes and support for regional and international agencies. UNSIC and the World Bank are supporting this process with assessments of progress on the response to AHI and pandemic preparedness within individual countries, taking stock of resource requirements at country, regional and global levels and tracking donor funding through bi-annual reports. The combination of tracking of AHI funds by the World Bank and the access of the UN to a vast amount of country-level information through the country teams, has led to a network that is able to produce updates on national efforts, helping identify gaps and needs.  

55. UNSIC has been facilitating coordination of communications on the wider UN response to Avian and Human Influenza. This coordinating role has been undertaken in a way that permits individual agencies and offices to have the desired visibility, and encourages them to use an agreed and common series of messages, ensuring – as far as is possible – that they are reflected in national and international communications media. UNSIC has finalized an UN system web portal (http://un-influenza.org) as a single entry point for Avian and Human Influenza for the UN system agencies and partners.

56. UNSIC has sought ways to prepare the UN itself for a pandemic so that the UN as a whole is able to continue its operations and help countries under pandemic conditions.  Contingency plans for UN country teams, agencies, headquarter offices, regional units and missions have been reviewed and are currently tested by simulation. Essential principles of these plans have been brought together in an overall concept of operations for the UN system in the event of a pandemic. It is anticipated that pandemic preparedness work within the UN system will be mainstreamed into the existing and wider crisis preparedness programmes within the UN and among its partners.

Remaining gaps and challenges

57. The high number and variety of actors involved at national, regional and global level in the response to Avian Influenza and the preparedness for a pandemic makes coordination a continued and daunting challenge for which more resources are required, especially at country level: sometime the efficiency of joint work is being impaired by the (often accidental) non-sharing of time-sensitive information that is of strategic importance. UNDP is facing an acute shortage of resources for providing meaningful support to Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams. OCHA also needs further funding to sustain the action of the coordination work of the Regional Planning officers.