January 13, 2006 — A new World Bank report says developing and middle-income countries will need at least US$1.2 billion to $1.4 billion to combat avian flu in animals, and deal with the threat of a human flu pandemic. That’s the Bank’s official estimatenow of the financing gap facing countries around the globe to combat avian flu. The report says the largest expected costs are in the East Asia and Pacific region, followed by Europe and Central Asia and then Africa. However the head of the Bank’s Avian Flu Taskforce, Jim Adams, has cautioned that additional funds will be needed in the future for strategies to deal with avian flu at the regional and global level. The Bank’s assessment has been released in the lead-up to an international conference in Beijing on January 17 and 18, co-sponsored by the Government of China, together with the European Commission and the World Bank. And it also comes on the heels of a move by the World Bank’s Board of Directors to endorse the framework for a funding programworth up to US$500 million, designed to provide immediate assistance to countries to combat the deadly virus. Adams says he’s cautiously optimistic the Beijing conference will see more than US$1 billion committed to countries to help them deal with avian flu – with some of the funds to be channeled through a multi donor trust fund that the World Bank would administer. The European Commission has just announced it will pledge a grant of up to US$100 million (83 million euros) to combat the spread of the virus in developing countries, particularly in Asia. It was a move welcomed by Jim Adams. "The World Bank greatly welcomes the contribution by the European Commission of € 80 million in grants to developing countries that are fighting avian flu. The EC announcement further underscores its continuing strong leadership in this effort, “ he says. Adams also says the Beijing conference will also be an important event to refine current estimates of the amount of money actually needed to combat bird flu. “The magnitude of the problem has been changing,” Adams says. “We know just in the past week, the avian flu outbreaks in Turkey raise issues in respect of the magnitude of the problem in Turkey and in neighboring countries. “So we’ve done an estimate on the basis of existing needs, but clearly that will have to be watched over in time.” Adams says at this stage, East Asia and Eastern Europe are the two regions in the world most affected by bird flu. “But I have to emphasize that in fact the spread to Eastern Europe comes through the migratory bird patterns and so we’re also very concerned about the Middle East and Africa because of the overlap of Asian and African bird flight patterns. “So I think it’s terribly important to recognize that this is a global issue which has to get broad attention at the international level. “ Adams says he’s hoping the Beijing conference will lead to an international agreement on a framework within which the international community can work together in dealing with avian flu. “The basic model we are using is that countries should take the lead. What is important is the development of country-wide programs and then ensuring that the various donors support those programs in a harmonized way.” A separate paper, prepared by the Bank for the Beijing conference, outlines a financing frameworkfor the funds pledged in Beijing which will cover country, regional and global needs. The framework would focus on coordination of donor activities and contributions and allow donors to provide funding in various ways – either through grants, loans or credits.
It also proposes some funds be channeled through a trust fund which the World Bank will administer. Adams says there have already been expressions of interest from a “number of large donors to put money into a multi-donor trust fund.” “It’s important for two reasons. One is that we hope through the trust fund to mobilize grant resources so that in fact the pressure on regular Bank funding will be less. “But the other important point to emphasize is that this is a global problem. It’s not something confined to an individual country and so it is in the global interest to provide grant funding to address this issue.” |
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