Strengthening Emergency and Pandemic Preparedness in Timor-Leste (STEPP-TL)

Background

Timor-Leste was awarded US$13.28 million from the Pandemic Fund to advance the country’s ability to prevent, detect, and respond to public health emergencies. The grant mobilized an additional US$72 million in co-financing from multilateral, public sector, and civil society organizations, as well as US$68 million in co-investment from the government’s own budget. The partners convened by the project range from the World Organization of Animal Health and Trade to Menzies Timor Leste and beyond.

Timor-Leste has undergone profound social and economic changes since achieving its independence in 2002. The public health system remains weak and is already strained by non-communicable diseases, leaving it at risk of being overwhelmed by a major outbreak. This risk is high: South Asia has been home to many emerging infectious diseases, and rising demand for livestock, along with the increasingly frequent movement of animals across Timor-Leste's borders, amplifies the risk of zoonotic disease spread.

In keeping with the ethos of the Pandemic Fund, Timor-Leste’s project seeks to make progress through multisectoral cooperation. The project is led by the Ministry of Health, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Forestry. Its implementing entities are UNICEF and the World Bank.

Project objectives

With the support of the Pandemic Fund and other project partners, Timor-Leste seeks to strengthen its prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR) capabilities through a more responsive and resilient public health system.

Implementation arrangements and key components

Timor-Leste's project encompasses the Pandemic Fund’s three priorities -- surveillance, laboratory systems, and workforce development – as well as cross-cutting themes such as community engagement. Detail on all project components follows.

Strengthening One Health surveillance, detection, and risk assessment. This part of the project entails establishing a One Health secretariat and Public Health Emergency Operations Center, developing guidelines and training programs, conducting risk assessments for pandemic-prone and zoonotic diseases, and equipping national and sub-national One Health systems to mount effective responses.

Empowering communities for early detection and rapid response. Activities in this area include enhancing event-based surveillance mechanisms, creating robust risk communication strategies and information-sharing platforms, and initiating community-led response programs.

Enhancing laboratory capabilities. This component of the project focuses on revising and implementing the National Laboratory Strategic Plan, updating and validated laboratory guidelines, developing standard operating procedures and training modules, and establishing a national accreditation body for regular Internal Quality Assurance evaluations. It also includes procuring essential laboratory equipment and addressing sample transportation costs.

Building a highly skilled, multidisciplinary workforce. Activities in this area include establishing rapid response and National Emergency Medical teams, conducting comprehensive trainings in diagnostics, genomics, and outbreak management, and skilling community health workers in surveillance and risk communication.

Establishing a dedicated, transparent financial mechanism for PPR. This work focuses on creating a multisectoral budgeting framework, implementing a monitoring and evaluation system, conducting fiscal space analysis, and mobilizing both domestic and international funding.

UNICEF brings its expertise in immunization, infection prevention and control, child health, risk communication, and resource mobilization. The World Bank brings its technical and coordination expertise and will contribute to a range of project activities spanning the One Health sectors.