UN System Influenza Coordination (UNSIC)
PROGRESS REPORT
1st May – 30th June 2007
UN System Influenza Coordination (UNSIC)
PROGRESS REPORT
1st May - 30th June 2007
INTRODUCTION
During May and June, outbreaks of the HPAI H5N1 virus in poultry have been reported in Ghana and Togo (first time occurrence), as well as in Vietnam, Pakistan, Czech Republic, Germany, France and Malaysia. The virus is also endemic in Indonesia, Egypt, Nigeria and to some extent in China. The United Kingdom has been affected by a low-pathogenic avian influenza A/H7N2 virus.
Cases of human H5N1 infections were confirmed in Indonesia (six cases of which four were fatal), in Egypt (three cases, one fatal), in China (one fatal) and in Vietnam (two cases since that last ones in November 2005). In the United Kingdom, the low-pathogenic avian influenza A/H7N2 virus caused human infections in four individuals (none of them fatal). However, no sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus has been reported and therefore the World Health Organization (WHO) pandemic alert remains at phase 3.
1. Coordinated Interagency Action
Interagency Coordination
The Technical Working Group (TWG) on Influenza and the Deputy Secretary-General’s Steering Committee on Influenza met in early May. At the TWG on Influenza was briefed on the Pandemic Influenza Contingency (PIC) online tracking tool (see point 3 below). The status of UN HQ preparedness was discussed and in particular the implementation of a business continuity management unit located in New York in de Department of Management. Target date for UNCT to finalize and test their contingency plans was set for October 2007. Animal health communications was identified as an area that needs more attention in the future.
The DSG’s Steering Committee on Influenza endorsed the General Principles for UN System Operations in the Event of a Pandemic, which had been slightly revised following the Committee’s last meeting, and requested the Coordinator to redraft the Concept of Operations for the UN System in a Pandemic based on these General Principles. The Committee also endorsed the UNSIC priority activities and outcomes for 2007 (http://www.undg.org/index.cfm?P=52) as described in a background paper prepared by UNSIC. The UN System Influenza Coordinator was asked to submit a paper for review at the next Steering Committee Meeting outlining the work of UNSIC beyond 2007.
UNSIC, on behalf of UN agencies and their partners, is preparing a mid-year review of the UN System Revised Consolidated UN System Action Plan for AHI. A document will be issued by end of July with information on financial situation, progress on activities and main achievements so far.
Coordination at country level
As a follow-up to the study on country-level coordination, UNSIC has been working on a ‘toolkit’ comprising in-country coordination instruments based on lessons learned and good practices. This toolkit will be discussed at the UN System Regional Workshop in Bangkok in early July and field tested later on.
In Egypt, UNSIC supported the RC’s office to ensure coherence of various partner activities in the country and follow-up on international funding. A technical roundtable meeting with donors was convened early June in Cairo to officially launch the country integrated plan for responding to AHI.
The Head of the UNSIC Asian and Pacific Regional Hub (APRH) traveled to Bangladesh, Mongolia and Indonesia, where she met with the UN AI Coordinator, members of the UNCT, donor and national coordinating body representatives to discuss AHI frameworks.
Support to coordination at regional level
In May and June there has been a lot of APEC initiatives to which UNSIC contributed. The UN System Influenza Coordinator was asked to provide a scene-setting scene opening speech at the APEC Ministerial Meeting on sustainable and multi-sectoral approaches to prepare for an influenza pandemic and other emerging health threats (Sydney on 7-8 June). An APEC Experience Sharing Workshop on AHI used the six factors for in-country success defined by UNSIC as a framework for discussion. Members of the UNSIC APRH participated in the APEC Workshop on the Action Plan on Prevention and Response to AI Pandemics in Hanoi, Vietnam, and the Joint Implementation Review meeting in Vientian, Lao PDR.
In Bangkok, the UNISC APRH convened a regional working group on pandemic preparedness and inter-agency meetings on simulation exercises to help UNCTs to test their pandemic contingency plans.
As a follow up to the Intergovernmental Conference in Bamako (December 2006), the UN System Influenza Coordinator, together the Vice President of the World Bank’s Operations Policy and Country Services, chaired a meeting on AHI financing for Africa, held in Washington DC on 14 June. Remaining needs were discussed as well as contribution to pre-operational activities (Rapid Assessments and the development of Integrated National Action Plans) by the Alive Platform and to operational activities by the AHI Facility (full report available on website http://www.undg.org/docs/7548/070713%20AHI%20Africa%20WBUN%20mtg%20note%20Final.doc ).
UNSIC and PIC also attended a World Bank Workshop on AHI funding in Africa, held in Pemba, Mozambique on 4-6 June, which looked at ways of improving coordination of AHI activities and joint engagement of Animal and Human Health sectors. It also discussed opportunities for integrating AHI projects into existing World Bank programmes.
2. Intergovernmental Processes
As suggested at the Inter-governmental Meeting on AHI in Bamako, a Technical Meeting for Avian and Human Influenza took place in Rome on 27- 29 June 2007 to review strategies and best practices prior to the next inter-governmental meeting in New Delhi in December 2007. Organized by FAO, OIE and WHO, with support from UNICEF and UNSIC, this meeting was attended by technical specialists from the main implementing UN and non-UN agencies, regional organizations and funding agencies, as well as independent technical experts. Strategies for controlling highly pathogenic avian influenza, preventing and managing human infection with the H5N1 virus and preparing for containment and mitigation of the next influenza pandemic were examined within the context of different settings. A technical report on the state of these strategies with recommendations will be available shortly. Background documents, presentations and reports are available on http://www.fao.org/avianflu/en/conferences/june2007/index.html.
Relations with Resource Providers
The UNSIC Donor Report 2006 on UNSIC’s activities and expenditures has been finalized and is available on the UNSIC Website: http://www.undg.org/index.cfm?P=43
The Management Committee for the UN Central Fund for Influenza Action (CFIA) met in early May and approved the eligibility of OIE and IOM to the Fund - this is a ground breaking initiative for a Multi-Donor Trust Funds administered by the UN. Agencies are now submitting project proposals for possible funding by the CFIA (currently with USD 2.1 million). These proposals will be discussed at the July meeting of the CFIA Management Committee.
3. Global Readiness to mitigate the societal impact of the next Influenza Pandemic
The UN System Pandemic Influenza Contingency (PIC) Support Team
UNSIC PIC support team has started a process to build a consensus among key humanitarian partners, UN and non-UN alike, as to how humanitarian needs can be met in a pandemic. To this end, humanitarian experts and donors have met three times in Geneva and are currently agreeing on a programme of work for the way ahead. An inter-agency mission visited Malawi to assess a specific case at the country level and gather some field perspectives.
In an effort to stimulate inter-agency networks on the regional level, the Director of PIC chaired the AHI Pandemic Planning Meeting for International Agencies and Cooperating Partners to the SADC Region, held in Johannesburg on 2-3 May. With support from its Regional Planning Officer in West Africa, UNSIC and PIC also organized UNCT workshops on AHI preparedness in Ghana and Mali, attended by representatives of the UN, Government and IFRC from 16 countries in West Africa. In Southern Africa, the regional platform has provided technical support to contingency planning in South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Madagascar and training was conducted in Lesotho and Zambia. A table top simulation exercise took place for the UNCT AHI Taskforce in Botswana, and a website for regional preparedness was set up with an up-to-date Who Does What Where and contact list for Southern Africa which has served as a tool for regular information exchange between regional partners. The platform has also been active in developing a strategy for pandemic preparedness in Southern Africa through different fora, including integrating pandemic scenarios in national disaster management plans.
In a UNCT Contingency Planning workshop in Cambodia, the Regional Planning Officer for Asia & The Pacific provided technical assistance to AHI focal points in the Philippines and Lao PDR. He carried out an assessment of the comprehensiveness of non-health sector contingency planning as covered in National Pandemic Preparedness Plans and is preparing a web based system to make the collected information and tools available to all UNCTs in the region and eventually globally. A mapping of AHI activities of NGOs in 11 countries in the region has also been carried out. The Regional Officer is also setting up, together with UNSIC members, a Bangkok based group of experts from different UN and other agencies as a simulation experts or resource group in order to instruct UN AHI coordinators in the region in planning and managing simulation exercises.
The new UNSIC-PIC online preparedness tracking tool is now in its testing phase and will be launched in July.
Current status of UN System Contingency Planning for the next influenza pandemic
During the period covered by this report, UNSIC continued with the inter-agency review process of pandemic contingency plans of UN Country Teams. Out of the 140 plans submitted in the first round, 43 have been resubmitted and reviewed so far. The target date for having all these plans revised, tested and submitted to UNSIC has been set for the end of October 2007.
Regarding UN Headquarter Contingency Planning, the UN Comptroller endorsed the proposal of the NY Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Coordinator for an external validation of Headquarters locations pandemic plans. Public health specialist Dr. Ram Koppaka and contingency planer Mr. Ian Clark have started the process of reviewing the plans and will submit their conclusions by mid-July. In line with this exercise, the Concept of Operations (CONOPS) for UN System in a Pandemic will be redrafted, following the decision of the DSG’s Steering Committee on 9 May.
The synergized development of high quality pandemic simulations
In addition to simulation materials for UNCTs, UNSIC has now finalized simulation materials for other stakeholders. Pandemic preparedness plans can now be tested with the material available on the UNISC Website (http://www.undg.org/?P=290).
4. Tracking and reporting on progress
UNISC, together with the World Bank, is currently preparing the third UN-World Bank Progress Report on the Global State of Influenza Pandemic Readiness and Capacity to Control HPAI. The Report will assess the current AHI situation, progress achieved so far, and identify gaps in the response and preparedness for a pandemic in country and in external assistance. Data will be obtained by survey from AHI focal points in UN Country Teams and from national governments.
5. Coordination of Communication
The UN Communications Group Task Force on AHI met on 10 May to discuss and analyze the findings of the inter-agency simulations exercise on communications in the event of a pandemic carried out earlier this year. There was consensus on establishing a quick and reliable means of exchanging agency-approved messages and talking points in the event of an emergency. A proposal on how this could be done will be discussed at the group’s next meeting in July. The group discussed also Animal Health Communication and agreed on the need to advance messaging in this area.
The desirability of including pandemic preparedness into existing disaster management communication mechanisms was discussed at the annual meeting of UN Communications Group, held at director level, on 21-22 June in Madrid.
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