17 December 2024, Cairo, Egypt – In a big step in direction of enhancing entry to important medicines, the Pan American Well being Group (PAHO) and the WHO Regional Workplace for the Jap Mediterranean have signed a memorandum of settlement to determine a pooled procurement mechanism for public well being provides within the Jap Mediterranean Area.
The settlement, formalized through the twelfth International Administration Assembly in Lyon, was signed by PAHO Director Dr Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr and WHO Regional Director for the Jap Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy.
The initiative builds on PAHO’s decades-long expertise with Regional Revolving Funds which have been instrumental in enabling equitable entry to important medicines and vaccines at decrease costs for Member States within the Americas.
“This settlement is a chief instance of the facility of cross-organizational information switch and collaboration. Additionally it is an essential step in advancing our efforts to enhance entry to medicines and well being applied sciences within the Jap Mediterranean,” mentioned Dr Balkhy.
Below the brand new settlement, the Regional Workplace for the Jap Mediterranean will obtain help from PAHO to develop an identical procurement system tailor-made to the wants of Jap Mediterranean nations, based mostly on the rules of solidarity, transparency and equitable entry.
The settlement will facilitate technical cooperation between the 2 areas, with a give attention to sharing finest practices, advocacy, capacity-building and fostering innovation. Key targets embody growing a pooled procurement system, enhancing regional manufacturing and regulatory capacities, and strengthening collaboration by specialised working teams to watch progress.
