Evaluation of FAO/USAID Emerging Pandemic Threats Programme – Phase II (EPT-2)

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been involved in the Emerging Pandemic Threats Programme (EPT-2), funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) since 2014. The programme sets out to minimize the impact of existing global pandemic threats and to detect, respond to and improve the prevention of emerging threats.

Implementation of this programme at FAO has been carried out through 20 projects with efforts concentrated in 36 countries in Africa and Asia. It builds upon lessons learned in the first phase of the programme, in which FAO was involved in improving livestock disease surveillance, enhancing capacity of veterinary epidemiologists and laboratories and improving response to the avian influenza. EPT-2 focuses more in-depth on preventative measures to zoonotic novel pathogens thereby reducing the risk of emergence of such diseases. This evaluation aims to trace the contribution of FAO’s interventions to the programme and assess its outcomes at the global, regional, and national levels.EPT-2 has largely achieved its objectives and outputs in terms of technical capacity development and disease strategy, but less so in terms of enabling policy, value chains, and production. In line with FAO’s 2011 One Health Action Plan (FAO, 2011), EPT-2’s technical focus has strengthened traditional partnerships between FAO and technical livestock departments and ministries and built stronger collaborations with health and environment ministries.The next phase of the EPT-2 programme could take advantage of renewed national, regional, and global interest in ensuring that the COVID-19 experience is not repeated. FAO needs to fully utilize its convening power, partnerships, trusted status, and experience of emerging pandemic threats to engage political and business leaders on the need to consolidate and scale up EPT-2-induced gains to improve pandemic preparedness.