The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu has said that the launch of the Health Emergency, Preparedness, Response, and Resilience (HEPRR) is a collective determination to strengthen health systems in member states.
Speaking during the launch in Nairobi on Wednesday, Dr Gebeyehu said the programme will also help in confronting similar challenges.
“This Health Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Resilience Programme is a testament to our collective determination to build on our experiences and lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and other outbreaks such as Cholera and Ebola, to strengthen our health systems to confront similar challenges.
“I must point out that this program is an answer to the political Declaration adopted at the UN General Assembly in September 2023, committing all Member States to act on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPPR) and the need for international cooperation in this regard,” he said.
The programme is aimed at strengthening sustained, comprehensive, and transformational impact on health emergency preparedness, response and resilience using a Multiphase Programmatic Approach.
The IGAD boss noted that the program is also timely, as the region recovers from the global COVID-19 pandemic.
“The lessons learned from this unprecedented crisis did not only change the IGAD region but the entire African continent and the world.”
Dr Gebeyehu said that HEPRR is the second innovative programme after the Food Systems Resilience Programme, which also covers the East and Southern Africa Region and is supported by the World Bank.
He reiterated his commitment and that of IGAD colleagues to seeing the Health Emergency programme successful.
“We shall invest all necessary efforts to ensure its full, effective, and impactful implementation,” he added.
“Let us be the generation that builds a future where pandemics do not cripple our communities, but where we stand together, prepared and strong.”
The programme is supported by the World Bank with a funding of $15 million for its implementation.
