Belgium and WHO Sign New Agreement to Boost Global Equitable Access to Health Products and Technologies
The WHO welcomes a new €8 million, four-year contribution from the Government of Belgium to accelerate global equitable access to essential health products and technologies. The funding will strengthen geographically diversified and sustainable manufacturing capacity, an urgent global priority underscored by lessons from the COVID-19 crisis.
The contribution will bolster WHO’s efforts to ensure that low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) can both develop and produce the health products they need, including vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics and other critical technologies. It builds on a long-standing collaboration between Belgium and WHO to advance access to health products worldwide.
“Equitable access to medicines and health products is a foundation for both universal health coverage and health security,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Systems, Access and Data. “Belgium’s renewed financial support will enable geographically diversified and sustainable manufacturing where it is needed most, helping build a safer, fairer and more resilient global health ecosystem.”
A strategic investment in access and global health security
Covering the period December 2025 to November 2029, Belgium’s multi-year support will anchor progress in two key areas -
- strengthening existing production capabilities to guarantee long-term sustainability and rapid delivery of health products and technologies for pandemic preparedness and response; and
- enabling sustainable regional production ecosystems capable of delivering innovative health products and technologies addressing ongoing public health priorities, from prevention and diagnosis to treatment, monitoring, rehabilitation and palliative care.
- the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme (Phase 2.0), which supports LMIC manufacturers in becoming independently viable producers of mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics by 2030 – including for pandemic-relevant pathogens and priority diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, dengue and cancer; and
- the Health Technology Access Programme (HTAP), WHO’s mechanism for securing rights and enabling geo-diversified technology transfer, initially focused on diagnostics and mRNA but expanding to other priority technologies. HTAP has already facilitated licensing agreements and sublicenses to expand diagnostic manufacturing capacity in underserved regions.
Belgium’s contribution will enable WHO to accelerate implementation of two key programmes:
HTAP expands on the ambition of the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) – an initiative Belgium championed as the first Member State to make a significant contribution. By fully integrating the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme, HTAP builds sustainable capacity by prioritising multi-purpose technologies that can be used for both pandemic preparedness and public health priorities outside of emergencies, thus helping to ensure that no country is left behind in accessing vaccines, medicines and other critical health products.
Belgium’s new contribution also strengthens alignment with the European Union Global Gateway and the Team Europe Initiative on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies (MAV+), in which Belgium plays a leading role.
Disclaimer – The details expressed in this post are from the companies responsible for sending this post for publication. This website doesn’t endorse the details published here. Readers are urged to use their own discretion while making a decision about using this information in any way. There has been no monetary benefit to the Publisher/Editor/Website Owner for publishing this post and the Website Owner takes no responsibility for the impacts of using this information in any way.