AVIAN INFLUENZA: LAO WEEKLY REPORT MAY 3

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VIENTIANE 000400 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR G, EAP/MLA WEYER, INR, CA/OCS/ACS/EAP, AND MED BANGKOK FOR USAID MACARTHUR, RMO, CDC, AND REO JWALLER PASS TO USTR (EBRYAN),USAID DCARROLL, AND HHS EELVANDER ROME FOR FAO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO ECON SOCI PREL KFLU LA SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA: LAO WEEKLY REPORT MAY 3 REF: VIENTIANE 387 AND PREVIOUS VIENTIANE 00000400 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) Possible Human Case: We have heard from the Australians of a possible human AI case in Houaphan Province (near Vietnam). Embassy's CDC representative is checking with the UN agencies and GOL on this. ¶2. (SBU) Announcing AI in ducks: The GOL finally notified the OIE of Dr. Webster's team's finding of AI in healthy ducks in Vientiane. (See reftels on initial finding.) The FAO regional representative, Lawrence Gleason, will be joining a World Bank Assessment team in Laos tomorrow and will take the opportunity to meet with the GOL to discuss how and when they will be announcing the AI finding to the public. He will also advise the GOL of a special emergency fund set up by the UN for donors to channel monies to the animal sector for AI. ¶3. (U) World Bank Assessment team: A 30 person World Bank Avian Influenza Appraisal team met with the UN, multi-lateral and bilateral donors today to discuss the terms of reference for their two-week mission to Laos (which will be followed by a trip to Cambodia to do the same). Embassy CDC representative is part of the Lao team. They will appraise the GOL's Pandemic Plan, with the hope of simplifying it; negotiate with the GOL which parts of the plan they will finance and set up financing arrangements over the next four years; and set up monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. The aim is simplicity and reachable goals. ¶4. (U) The Lao-Cambodia assessment falls under the World Bank's Global Program for Avian Influenza (GPAI),which was agreed to by the World Bank Board in January (just before the Beijing donors meeting). GPAI is a $500 million global facility. So far, only two countries have received funding under the GPAI -- Nigeria and Kyrgyzstan, with Turkey soon to be approved. Laos and Cambodia's GPAI falls under Bank emergency procedures (used for natural disasters etc.),which aims to get funds moving relatively quickly. The funds include $4 million in IDA (International Development Aid) grants; $2 million in grants from bilateral donors put into a multi-donor trust facility (so far only the EU has contributed); and $2 million in grants from the Government of Japan. The money will be disbursed directly to the GOL and replenished after monitoring, evaluation and review. Once the assessment team completes its initial work next Friday and reaches an agreement on an aide memoire with the GOL, then the team members will prepare documents for Board approval at the end of June. At that point, a final agreement will be signed with the GOL. The team leaders expect disbursement by August/September. Meanwhile, the GOL will be free to start funding projects immediately with their own funds to be reimbursed by the WB, if the project meets the criteria. ¶5. (U) The team leaders expressed concern about the GOL's Pandemic Plan -- especially the lack of specificity in the activities. The GOL needs to better define the who, when, how and desired outcome of projects. Once this is done, then they need to do a better job on the costing. The institutional arrangements are also a concern -- too many bureaucratic channels and too cumbersome a decision-making process. They would like to see the line ministries given more autonomy and flexibility. The team leaders also said they would be looking for mechanisms for coordinating among donors and with the GOL. ¶6. (U) The Ambassador thanked them for including our Emboff in the team and informed the team that our funds have already begun to flow and will be channeled through the WHO and FAO. We suggested that they look at already existing donor coordination mechanisms, such as the Global Fund. As with the Global Fund, the UN has offered to provide coordination support for AI activities. The Minister of Health has agreed VIENTIANE 00000400 002.2 OF 002 to seek approval from the Prime Minister for the UN to do this. ¶7. (U) The EU representative stressed the need to coordinate with other donors who are not part of the GPAI and the need to clarify the role of the UN, especially FAO and WHO. He expressed concern about human resources being diverted from other important programs into the AI effort. He advised looking into local, regional and international technical assistance. The team said that the Japanese funds are specifically earmarked for training and technical consultants (who do not need to be Japanese). The Bank cannot, however, pay GOL salaries -- only per diem and travel. The EU also asked that NGOs be included as implementing partners. The team agreed that NGOs and the private sector can be part of the plan. HASLACH