The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the World Health Summit in Berlin on 16 October, outlining their joint efforts to strengthen public health functions and health emergency preparedness at a global, regional and country level.
Through this new agreement, WHO and IANPHI will work together to establish or strengthen the role of national institutes, particularly in emergency preparedness and response.
The organisations maintain that the strengthened alliance is ‘critical’ in ensuring that global and regional structures are designed to support national and local capacities and ‘provide the right avenues for collaboration and coordination’.
The IANPHI is a network of 111 members in 94 countries and regions that links, and aims to strengthen, government agencies responsible for public health.
‘Together IANPHI and WHO can leverage each other’s capacities to strengthen essential public health capacities and emergency preparedness at national level and ultimately promote and protect the health and well-being of people,’ the partners outlined.
“Today’s agreement is an historic moment for both organisations,” said Professor Duncan Selbie, president of the IANPHI, at the signing event with Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of WHO.
“Formalising this aims to strengthen national public health capacity and capability to deliver health gains through prevention and promotion measures, and emergency preparedness and response,” Selbie added.
Last month, WHO announced the official establishment of the new financial intermediary fund (FIF) for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) by the FIF Governing Board.
The fund, which was established at the FIF’s inaugural meeting, is set to provide a ‘dedicated stream’ of additional, long-term financing to strengthen PPR capabilities in low- and middle-income countries and address ‘critical gaps’ through investments and technical support at the national, regional and global levels, WHO said in a statement.
Over $1.4bn in financial commitments were announced at the time of announcement and more are expected in the coming months.
The Technical Advisory Panel, appointed by the Government Board, will be chaired by WHO and will comprise leading experts to assess and make recommendations on the technical merits of proposals for funding, ensuring linkages to the International Health Regulations, as part of the broader global PPR architecture.