Content created by Office of Global Affairs (OGA)
Achieving global health security requires robust and sustained financing to enhance the resilience of health systems and effectively prevent, detect, and respond to health threats. From SARS and H1N1 to Ebola, mpox, and COVID-19, the world has witnessed multiple regional epidemics and pandemics, resulting in substantial loss of lives and economic devastation. The inevitability of future health threats, including pandemics, underscores the urgency of proactive investment. Despite this, global investments in pandemic preparedness remain inadequate.
The Office of Global Affairs (OGA) works with partners to drive and sustain high-level attention and commitments for financing preparedness as well as to promote the valuable role that the health sector plays in informing financing decisions at all levels—national, regional, and global—and the importance of strengthening the partnership between the finance and health sectors.
GHSA Sustainable Financing for Preparedness Action Package
The Sustainable Financing for Preparedness Action Package working group was launched in 2019 to take strategic actions for mobilizing country-level, regional, and global resources to achieve sustainable financing for preparedness. The Action Package does this by engaging relevant stakeholders to take coordinated action, contributing to existing efforts and tools, and galvanizing high-level support.
The United States, through the Office of Global Affairs, serves as Chair of the Sustainable Financing for Preparedness Action Package as part of its commitment to GHSA.
Pandemic Fund
Launched in September 2022, the Pandemic Fund is a multilateral financing mechanism dedicated to providing sustained financing to support countries in building their capacity to prevent, prepare for, and respond to epidemics and pandemics. The Pandemic Fund’s Governing Board is groundbreaking in its composition with equal representation among donor and co-investor (countries eligible for funding) seats as well as seats representing civil society and philanthropic organizations. The United States is currently the largest contributor to the Pandemic Fund and is actively working with partners to catalyze additional funding.
The Office of Global Affairs provides guidance to the U.S. Governing Board Representatives on the Pandemic Fund through the Interagency Steering Group. The Departments of State and Treasury currently represent the United States on the Board.
G20 Joint Finance and Health Task Force
The Office of Global Affairs facilitates U.S. health engagement on the Joint Finance and Health Task Force. The Joint Finance and Health Task Force was established during the G20 Rome Leaders’ Summit, 2021. The Task Force is aimed at enhancing dialogue and global cooperation on issues relating to pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPR), promoting the exchange of experiences and best practices, developing coordination arrangements between Finance and Health Ministries, promoting collective action, assessing, and addressing health emergencies with cross-border impact, and encouraging effective stewardship of resources for pandemic PPR, while adopting a One Health approach.