Strengthening Emergency and Pandemic Preparedness in Timor-Leste

pipeline

The Strengthening Emergency and Pandemic Preparedness in Timor-Leste (STEPP-TL) project, a US$10.6m proposed Recipient-Executed Trust Fund IPF financed by the Pandemic Fund, seeks to enhance the country’s ability to prevent, detect, and respond swiftly to pandemics and public health emergencies in a country context that is extremely vulnerable to outbreaks and emergencies. At its core is a OneHealth approach, bringing together multiple ministries, sectors, and local communities to work in partnership on health security. Led by the World Bank as the coordinating Implementing Entity (IE), the proposed project is set to be delivered in collaboration with UNICEF as partner IE, and local civil society, development partners, and non-governmental organizations as possible delivery partners who have already been consulted during the Pandemic Fund proposal development stage. While strengthening national public health functions, the project also contributes to bolstering regional collaboration and networks, considering pandemic preparedness and response capacity as a precious regional public good.Priority workstreams identified respond to crucial gaps identified in Timor-Leste’s National Action Plan for Health Systems (2020-2024) and findings from its Joint External Evaluations for 2018 and 2024, with four proposed components:a. Component 1: Strengthening Early Warning and Disease Surveillance Systems and community engagement. This component seeks to support national and sub-national OneHealth systems for comprehensive surveillance, rapid disease detection, and effective risk assessment of pandemic-prone and zoonotic diseases, while empowering communities as central actors in early detection and rapid response initiatives. b. Component 2: Strengthening Laboratory Systems. This component seeks to support the significant enhancement of laboratory system capacities in Timor-Leste for rapid and reliable detection of priority pathogens.c. Component 3: Strengthening human resources/public health and community workforce capacity. This component seeks to support building a highly skilled, multidisciplinary workforce and robust emergency management systems for efficient OneHealth outbreak response and public health emergency management.d. Component 4: Project Management, Capacity Building and Monitoring & Evaluation. This component seeks to support the management and supervision of the STEPP-TL Project through a true OneHealth approach.All activities integrate cross-cutting priorities, embedding gender equality, community engagement, health equity, and OneHealth principles throughout, ensuring a coordinated, inclusive, and sustainable approach to health security in Timor-Leste.