World Bank and IFRC Support Independent Monitoring of COVID-19 Vaccine Campaign in Lebanon
BEIRUT, February 12, 2021 The World Bank and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have signed today an agreement for the independent monitoring of Lebanon’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Under this agreement, IFRC acting as the Third Party Monitoring Agency (TPMA), will be in charge of independently monitoring the compliance of the vaccination deployment with national plans, international standards and World Bank requirements in order to ensure safe handling of the vaccines, as well as fair and equitable access to all.
According to the agreement, IFRC’s oversight and supervision will cover COVID-19 vaccine supply chain management as well as vaccine administration at vaccination sites from the technical, environmental and social safeguards perspectives. This includes but is not limited to storage, stock and temperature maintenance across the suppl
The first batch of COVID-19 vaccines for Lebanon arrived in the country on February 13, 2021 as part of the World Bank-financed Lebanon Health Resilience Project (LHRP). This is also the first World Bank support for COVID-19 vaccination in the world. Lebanon officially launched the national vaccination campaign at Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut on February 14. The first to receive the vaccine was Dr. Mahmoud Hassoun, the head of the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. The second in line was beloved Lebanese actor, 93-year-old Salah Tizani. Together, they represent the priority groups which the campaign targets in the early phases of vaccination: frontline health workers, the elderly, and those with co-morbidities.
Lebanon: Fair and transparent distribution of COVID19 vaccine key to real success
Image This is also the first World Bank support for COVID-19 vaccination in the world. Lebanon officially launched the national vaccination campaign at Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut on February 14. The first to receive the vaccine was Dr. Mahmoud Hassoun, the head of the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. The second in line was beloved Lebanese actor, 93-year-old Salah Tizani. Together, they represent the priority groups which the campaign targets in the early phases of vaccination: frontline health workers, the elderly, and those with co-morbidities.
“I’m telling everyone to come and get vaccinated and not be scared. Better to get vaccinated than to be knocked down by this deadly virus,” Tizani told the AFP. Despite the implementation challenges ahead, COVID-19 vaccination in Lebanon will save lives and support economic recovery in a country that urgently needs it.
World Bank and IFRC Support Independent Monitoring of COVID-19 Vaccine Campaign in Lebanon
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BEIRUT, February 12, 2021 The World Bank and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have signed today an agreement for the independent monitoring of Lebanon’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Under this agreement, IFRC acting as the Third Party Monitoring Agency (TPMA), will be in charge of independently monitoring the compliance of the vaccination deployment with national plans, international standards and World Bank requirements in order to ensure safe handling of the vaccines, as well as fair and equitable access to all.
According to the agreement, IFRC’s oversight and supervision will cover COVID-19 vaccine supply chain management as well as vaccine administration at vaccination sites from the technical, environmental and social safeguards perspectives. This includes but is not limited to storage, stock and temperature maintenance across th
CHED Chairman J. Prospero De Vera III (Photo from Prospero De Vera’s Facebook page)
CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera III said the recent row between the DND and the State university is expected to happen as the pact between the two institutions has “no clear operational details for implementation.”
“I assert that the implementation of the DND-UP accord was destined to be problematic. The accord has no clear detailed operational details to implement the provisions of the agreement,” De Vera, a faculty member of UP for almost four decades, said.
“The Joint Monitoring Group composed of UP regents and administrators, military, and police officials has not met regularly to determine compliance with the agreement, review alleged violations, determine appropriate penalties, and recommend revisions in the accord given the changing time,” De Vera, a vice president and chairman of the Board of Regents of UP before joining CHED which supervises Higher Education Institutions (HEIs