August 15, 2022 (Djibouti-Ville, Djibouti): The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Executive Secretory, H.E Workneh Gebeyehu (PhD), and Clementine Nkweta-Salami, UNHCR Regional Director for East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes, today, signed the IGAD-UNHCR PR-SR grant agreement of US$ 1,738,528 to strengthen TB and COVID-19 response in the refugee camps/settlements in Djibouti, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda, in the presence of Madam Fathia Alwan, the Director for IGAD and Social Development Division and other IGAD Staff.
Furthermore, the two parties discussed to continue to work together and enhance the partnership in strengthening the refugee health in the IGAD region.
The support aims to improve the availability and utilisation of TB and COVIOD-19 response in the refugee camps through strengthening the diagnostic capacity of TB, MDR-TB, TB/HIV and COVID-19.
IGAD together with the member states and partners developed TB-HIV proposals and submitted to Global Fund at different times. Overall in the last five years IGAD mobilised US$ 23.9 million to support TB, HIV and COVID-19 response program in the refugee camps and cross border and Out of this US$ 6,582,102 was given/allocated to UNHCR. Based on this IGAD received three grants from Global Fund.
The first one was US$ 10 million for the period of October 2016 to 31 March 2019, the second one was US$ 7.5 Million for the period of April 2019 to 31 March 2022, the Third one is US$ 5 million for the period of April 2022 to 31 March 2025 and the fourth is US$ 1.43 M for COPVID 19 responses mechanism for 2022 to 2023.
The first two grants were completed successfully the key achievements were increased TB, MDR-TB and HIV diagnostic capacity and services in the refugee camps, contribution to the notification and treatment of f over 19,000 TB cases in the last five years and generated evidences on HIV prevalence, and on trends of TB case notification and treatment outcome through conducting surveys. For instance, Of the 24 Gene Xpert machines in the refugee camps, 15 (62.5%) were procured by this IGAD-GF grant. Overall, it played a catalytic role, enhanced partnership and fostered the linkage with National TB and HIV program.
IGAD received the third grant of US$ 5 million for TB interventions among refugees in Eastern Africa and has started the implementation since April 2022. Out of this, IGAD allocated US$ 1,578,249 to UNHCR for the components in Djibouti, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. The duration of the grant is three years with a starting date of April 2022. In addition to this, The COVID – 19 Response Mechanism Grant of GF-IGAD supports to improve the diagnosis of COVID -19 at the point. To this effect SARS-COV-2 Antigen based rapid test kits value of over 760, 000 is in the procurement through the pooled Procurement of Global Fund and this will be delivered to UNHCR country offices. It will be distributed to all the 70 refugee camps/settlements in the IGAD region.
