G20 Pandemic Fund grants $25 mn for animal health system in India
New Delhi: The G20 Pandemic Fund has granted $25 million to India's animal husbandry & dairying department to aid pandemic preparedness and response, according to the ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry & dairying. This funding will improve India's animal health system, a crucial part of the One Health approach for pandemic prevention.
The pandemic has underscored the critical need for integrated One Health systems to combat emerging infectious diseases that often originate in animals. A staggering five out of the six WHO-declared public health emergencies of international concern in recent decades were of animal origin, underscoring the importance of addressing animal health as a key aspect of pandemic preparedness and response.
"The G20 Pandemic Fund has approved the $25 million proposal submitted by the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD), Government of India on “Animal Health Security Strengthening in India for Pandemic Preparedness and Response"," the ministry said. Established under Indonesia’s G20 Presidency, the Pandemic Fund finances critical investments to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response capacities at national, regional, and global levels, focusing on low- and middle-income countries, it added.
The pandemic fund received around 350 expressions of interest (EoI) and 180 full proposals in the first call with grant requests totalling more than $2.5 billion against an envelope of only $338 million. The pandemic fund’s governing board has approved 19 grants under its first round of funding allocations aimed to boost resilience to future pandemics in 37 countries across six regions on 20 July 2023.
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