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