From: JAMENYA, Adisa <jamenyaa@who.int>
Sent: Tuesday, April 23, 2019 7:19 PM
To: Maia Nikoleishvili <mnikoleishvili@moh.gov.ge>
Cc: geomission.geneva@bluewin.ch; info <info@moh.gov.ge>; EURO WHO Office in Georgia <eurowhogeo@who.int>; RAMACCIATO, Jordan <ramacciatoj@who.int>; MILAD, Laila Christine <miladl@who.int>
Subject: Voluntary contribution to the World Health Organization's (WHO) Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE) - (Ref: 01/6358)

Dear Partners,

I am pleased to attach the 2019 annual report for the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE). The annual report highlights the Fund’s use and effectiveness in responding to health emergencies. It is also one of the ways in which we remain accountable to our donors who, in 2019, provided a record US$54 million to the CFE. We rely on the generosity of the donor community to sustain this life-saving fund.

In 2019, the CFE was critical in bringing an end to the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and supporting life-saving responses in 22 other emergencies in 22 countries. Investing in the CFE continues to provide outsized returns in terms of resources saved by preventing emergencies from spiraling out of control and, most importantly, in the lives impacted and saved.

So far in 2020, the CFE has been used for ten events totaling more than US$30 million in allocations including in response to COVID-19 at the very onset when no other funding was available, the new Ebola outbreak threatening Equateur Province in DRC, and in response to the explosion that has devastated Beirut. The Fund’s balance, however, stands at only US$20 million. We need your support to reach our biennial target of US$100 million to ensure that we have enough resources to respond to new outbreaks and health emergencies this year and beyond.

On our end, we are committed to the continual improvement of the CFE, including finding new revenue streams and other ways to enhance its financial footing. The goal is to provide WHO and its Member States with a more financially sustainable, operationally agile, and accountable financing mechanism that continues to save lives.

The ongoing battle with COVID-19 is a stark reminder that we need to invest in preparedness and prevention at a massive scale to ensure global health security. At the same time, the outbreak has weakened already fragile health systems in low income countries. Now more than ever, we need a fully-funded CFE to enable WHO to respond to emerging health threats in these countries. We count on your continued generosity and support to enable WHO to respond quickly to save lives.

Sincerely,

Dr Michael J. Ryan
Executive Director
WHO Health Emergencies Programme