Board Decisions

GF/B48/DP03

Approved by the Board on: 16 November 2022

Extension of the COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM)

1. The Board acknowledges that C19RM was established to support (i) COVID-19 control and containment interventions, (ii) COVID-19 risk-related mitigation measures for programs to fight HTM, and (iii) expanded reinforcement of key aspects of health systems, and recognizes that C19RM requests and awards through the end of 2021 largely focused on the acute response to the COVID-19 pandemic;
2. The Board acknowledges that the pandemic is evolving, and that recipient priorities are correspondingly shifting towards longer-term investments in health systems’ infrastructure and capacities for pandemic preparedness and response;
3. To facilitate careful planning of such investments, including alignment with potential funding requests for the Seventh Replenishment grant cycle, the Board approves that C19RM funds may be awarded through 30 June 2023, with opportunity for subsequent C19RM portfolio optimization awards;
4. To enable maximization of impact from investments in resilient and sustainable systems for health, the Board approves that any C19RM funds may be implemented through 31 December 2025 and will finance interventions across the Sixth and Seventh Replenishment periods – acknowledging that the Secretariat will continue to ensure rapid deployment of funds and quality implementation notwithstanding this deadline;
5. The Board approves that C19RM funding requests will continue to be developed through appropriate, multi-sectoral consultation and fully inclusive decision-making, which must engage communities and civil society, and which must ensure coordination with the national COVID-19 response coordinating body or provide other evidence of alignment with the national approach to COVID-19 response in the absence of such a coordinating body;
6. The Board approves that the Secretariat may use up to 4.5% of C19RM funds, representing an increase from the prior ceiling of 3%, to cover additional management and operating costs related to extension of C19RM; and
7. The Board agrees that all other parameters of C19RM under GF/B46/EDP06 remain unchanged.

Budgetary Implications

Incremental management and operating costs directly attributable to C19RM will be covered by up to 4.5% of any funds made available for C19RM.