WHO Director-General’s remarks at the World Economic Forum – 17 January 2024 – World Health Organization

Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the incredible power of vaccines, tests, treatments and other medical technologies to save lives.

But it also exposed the vast inequities of our world.

Narrow nationalism and hoarding by high-income countries meant that many low-income countries got too little, too late.

But it doesnt only happen for COVID vaccines. We see the same thing for many vaccines and health technologies. Its the norm, not the exception, and it needs to change.

Expanding local production, and strengthening local regulatory capacity, are therefore essential for reducing health inequities between and within countries not only for the pandemics of tomorrow, but to treat the diseases of today.

So, let me offer my congratulations to the government of Rwanda and BioNTech for jointly establishing an mRNA manufacturing facility in Kigali, which was inaugurated just a few weeks ago.

This is an important step, and one that I hope other countries and companies can learn from. And it also shows us that without local ownership, national ownership and commitment, this thing cannot happen. And we can see that in Rwanda's case.

This new venture will complement WHO's work to equip all regions of the world with the know-how and infrastructure to rapidly produce mRNA vaccines in response to an epidemic or pandemic.

Through the mRNA Technology Transfer Hub, WHO is now supporting technology transfer in 15 countries, including six in Africa. Of course, Brazil is one of the most promising, and I am glad that Brazil is participating in this meeting.

Of course, mRNA is not the only important vaccine technology.

Thats why weve also established the WHO Health Technology Access Pool, to support local manufacturing of other technologies in low- and middle-income countries, including virus- and protein- based vaccines, and adjuvant technology.

This will not only help regions prepare for another pandemic, they can potentially also develop vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics for other health threats including malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases.

Manufacturing facilities are most effective and sustainable if they are operating to meet ongoing needs, rather than only ramping up during emergencies.

WHO is supporting countries with guidance and technical support for investing in R&D and aligning these investments with the manufacturing infrastructure in their region.

To train the skilled workforce needed for local and regional manufacturing, we established the Global Training Hub on Biomanufacturing, hosted in the Republic of Korea.

This could be complemented by additional regional workforce training centres, which would greatly accelerate efforts to get these high-tech manufacturing facilities up and running sustainably in developing countries.

Countries that manufacture vaccines and medicines must also have robust regulatory agencies in place, so that these life-saving products can be exported.

To support this, WHO has a long-standing programme to build regulatory capacity nationally and regionally.

We are especially proud to have supported the establishment of the African Medicines Agency in Rwanda, which we will continue to support.

Finally, it is vital to emphasize the central role of domestic investments in research, development and manufacturing for long-term sustainability.

External donors and initiatives can play an important catalytic role, but it is essential that countries themselves are in the drivers seat, and countries themselves are investing in manufacturing.

When governments are invested in the manufacturing sector, they are more likely to buy locally-produced products, rather than imported products that may be cheaper.

Over the longer term, buying regionally-produced products can create a sustainable production system, and over time prices could become increasingly more competitive.

Regional activities such as the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, recently endorsed by the GAVI Board, and the Africa CDC, will promote long-term procurement from regional manufacturers.

Additional regional procurement mechanisms, as well as coherent plans for building robust supply chains, will contribute to sustainability of these manufacturing facilities.

WHOs World Local Production Forum coordinates, galvanizes and synchronizes these regional and global efforts, and we're doing it in partnership with WTO and WIPO. I'm glad that WIPO Director General Daren Tang is with us today in this meeting, it shows his commitment.

Ensuring that supply chains are robust, and that capacity is sustainable, will require coordination between all of us.

The strategy identified by the Regionalized Vaccine Manufacturing Collaborative and CEPI is closely aligned with what WHO believes are the key priorities to expanding regional vaccine manufacturing, and we look forward to RVMCs collaboration with WHO and other partners in this space.

Before I close, I would like to thank Minister Phaahla for his support and especially recognize South Africa and also Afrigen.

WHO is committed to working with all of you to realize the vision of equitable access to quality medical products for all people.

I thank you.

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WHO Director-General's remarks at the World Economic Forum - 17 January 2024 - World Health Organization