LIBYA SUBMITS GRANT APPLICATION FOR HHS ASSISTANCE IN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TRIPOLI 000476

SIPDIS

FOR NEA/MAG, GAVITO, NEA/RA, OES FOR SENSENEY; AMMAN FOR
WHITTLESLEY; HHS FOR JANE COURY, BILL STEIGER; CAIRO FOR
HARRINGTON, NAMRU-3 DR. MANSOUR, DR. MARIE RICCIARDONE, DR.
BRUCE BOYNTON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO OSCI LY
SUBJECT: LIBYA SUBMITS GRANT APPLICATION FOR HHS ASSISTANCE IN
PANDEMIC/AVIAN INFLUENZA


1. SUMMARY: On August 29-31, 2006 Dr. Mustafa Mansour of Navy
Medical Research Unit -3 of Cairo, and ESTH officer met with Dr.
Abduhafid Abudher of the Libyan National (African) Center for
Infectious Disease Control to finalize a grant application for
U.S. assistance to the Libyan Government in public health issues
associated with influenza preparedness. The Libyans finalized a
$1 Million grant application/request, as offered by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to the Libyan
General People's Committee for Health and Environment (GPCHE) as
a non-competitive grant award. The application was then locally
approved and signed by Mr. Habeb Tamer, the Undersecretary of
the GPCHE. Pending HHS approval, the application will fully
obligate the funds in FY06 monies for use by the GPCHE in FY07.
END SUMMARY.

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HHS Grant Fulfills Cooperative Agreement Signed in July:
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2. During HHS Deputy Secretary Alex Azar's July visit to
Tripoli, Dr. Tamer and Mr. Azar signed an agreement to
participate in a cooperative initiative for the development of
public health and security, with particular reference to public
health incidents related to influenza. Attached to this
agreement was an offer by HHS to provide the GPCHE a
non-competitive grant in the amount of USD$1 Million to foster
this cooperation through continued partnerships in disease
surveillance, preparedness and response capabilities. The grant
application signed by Mr. Tamer and Dr. Mansour on August 31,
2006 aimed to fully obligate these funds to set up sentinel site
staff and capabilities that integrated with Libya's existing
disease surveillance infrastructure.

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Libyan Application Structured to Address Three Pillars of
Preparedness:
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3. HHS provided Dr. Mansour with an outline of a desired format
for the proposal with some suggested benchmarks and areas of
consideration that would be included in such an application.
Dr. Abudher reviewed this outline, and presented it to the
combined Libyan Committee for Public Health which consists of
representatives from the GPCHE and the General People's
Committee for Agriculture (GPCA). The GPCA has dominion over
the veterinary portion of disease surveillance and reporting.
The group modified and completed the outline. The combined
committee was concerned that the document would not reflect
Libya's existing disease surveillance and reporting
capabilities, and ensured that the language in the proposal
stated the grant money would be used to strengthen existing
institutions, not establish new ones. This was a very important
point to both the GPCHE and GPCA leadership, and was reiterated
several times to Dr. Mansour and ESTH Officer.



4. The application was titled: Surveillance and Response to
Highly Pathogenic Avian and Pandemic Influenza in the Libyan
Arab Jamahiriya, submitted in response to the RFP issued by the
HHS Office of the Secretary, Office of Public Health and
Science, Office of Global Health Affairs. The application
includes measures to address the three pillars of pandemic
preparedness: a) Preparedness and Communication, b) Surveillance
and Detection, c) Response and Containment. Using these three
pillars, a schedule of proposed activities through FY07 was
established and agreed upon by the Libyans and Dr. Mansour. The
schedule outlined specific activities and the associated funding
requested for each activity, as well as a separate section to
allow for supplemental payments to sentinel and management staff
that will be involved with the program.

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Libyan Committed to Accountability and Achieving Benchmarks:
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5. Dr. Abudher was very concerned about meeting the U.S.
expectations for the application, and paid strict attention to
how the monies were allocated. He asked how the grant would be
dispensed, managed and accounted. He and Mr. Tamer recommended
establishing an account with two to three guardians with access
to the funds. They were open to suggestions from HHS, and
welcomed any input in this matter. They were also concerned
about how the program would be benchmarked or evaluated, and
sought input on a means of accountability to the timeline and
scheduled activities. They understood that the program was
intended as a starting point for cooperation between U.S. and
Libyan health communities, and were very excited about the
opportunities for interaction that this program offered. They
will be seeking increased U.S. participation in Libyan health
issues beyond the initial influenza program, and believe the HHS
initiative will foster the working level relationships necessary
to broaden the scope of cooperation.

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Next Steps:
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6. HHS and the GPCHE will continue work on the specifics of the
funds transfer, as well as the accountability to the schedule.
Activities are planned in each of the three pillars that include
either Libyan participation in regional workshops and programs,
or visits to Libya by topical specialists. These activities
will continue working level contact and develop further
cooperation between the U.S. and Libya. Mr. Tamer and Dr.
Abudher understand that this initial agreement is a framework
for evaluating opportunities for further cooperation and
establishing new programs. Pending approval from HHS of the
grant application, the Libyans are ready to move on the planned
schedule of activities. The only caveat to their eagerness is
that the Ramadan season begins September 23, and this will
certainly slow the initial progress of activities, but there is
every opportunity to have the program fully functioning by the
end of November.


7. U.S. travelers proposing grant-related travel to Libya
should allow a minimum of eight weeks for visa approvals to be
processed. Similarly, Libyans must travel to Embassy Tunis to
apply for visas and interagency proposals. Follow-on activities
should factor a minimum of eight weeks lead time if training in
the U.S. is offered. Any planned workshops that can be arranged
in Cairo at the NAMRU-3 facility, pending facility availability,
should be considered to minimize issues related to visa
restrictions for travelers.
GOLDRICH