In a project commissioned by the World Bank, the Duke-NUS Centre for Outbreak Preparedness (COP) recently supported the Government of Timor-Leste in developing a single-country proposal for the Pandemic Fund’s third Call for Proposals. With USD 500 million earmarked globally, the fund focuses on three key areas: (i) early warning and disease surveillance systems; (ii) laboratory systems for both human and animal health; and (iii) strengthening human resources and health workforce capacity across rural and urban settings.
Led by Assistant Professor Khoo Yoong Khean, the COP team travelled to Dili from 21 to 23 May 2025 to gain firsthand insights into the country’s disease surveillance, laboratory and health systems. The team engaged a wide range of stakeholders — including government officials, development partners, non-governmental organisations, technical staff and community representatives — to ensure the proposal responds to Timor-Leste’s unique needs.
World Bank Country Representative, Mr Bernard Harborne (left) and COP Assistant Professor, Khoo Yoong Khean (right)
Discussion with Vice Minister of Health Timor-Leste, Dr Flávio Brandão (centre)
Integrating government ministries
A key highlight was the meeting with Vice Minister of Health Dr Flávio Brandão, who emphasised the urgent need to strengthen pandemic preparedness and emergency response capacities. The discussion underscored the vital contributions of development partners like the World Bank and technical leaders such as COP in driving forward Timor-Leste’s national health security agenda.
Centred on the One Health approach — which integrates human, animal, and environmental health — the proposal brought together the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry (MALFF) for a series of technical discussions. These meetings identified shared priorities and practical strategies for building a sustainable, integrated surveillance system.
Group photo with Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry (MALFF) representatives
A team visit to the National Health Laboratory (NHL)
Partnering with the community
Recognising the importance of community-level preparedness, the World Bank and COP team convened a joint session with civil society groups and non-governmental organisations, including the Timor-Leste Red Cross, Maluk Timor, HAMNASA, Menzies School of Health Research, Oxfam, Catalpa, CARE and World Vision. These discussions shed light on existing community-government partnerships and affirmed the critical role of civil society in emergency response. A key outcome was the inclusion of community-based activities in the proposal — ensuring that local populations are informed, engaged and empowered to play an active role in protecting public health.
Aligning across partners
With World Bank backing, the COP team also engaged representatives from major development partners — including WHO, UNICEF, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). These meetings provided an important platform to exchange updates on ongoing programmes, identify areas of synergy and ensure the proposed activities under the Pandemic Fund would complement existing efforts on the ground. Building strong alignment with these partners is essential to creating a coordinated, effective and sustainable plan for pandemic preparedness in Timor-Leste, and the discussions reflected a shared commitment to strengthening the nation’s health systems together.
Group photo at the National Health Laboratory
Visiting the Genome Sequencing Room at the National Health Laboratory
The MOH successfully submitted their proposal to the Pandemic Fund with the World Bank, WHO and UNICEF as their implementing partners. COP is proud to have contributed to this collaborative milestone — one that reflects a strong commitment to health security and resilience.
By uniting government ministries, development partners and community organisations, the project illustrates the kind of end-to-end support COP offers to countries building their pandemic preparedness and public health emergency response capacities.