Belgium Gives €8m to WHO to Boost Global Access and Local Manufacturing Capacity

WHO says the investment will play a pivotal role in strengthening the ability of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to both develop and manufacture the health products their populations need.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has welcomed a significant new contribution of €8 million from the Government of Belgium aimed at accelerating equitable global access to essential health products and technologies. The four-year funding commitment reflects lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, during which global supply shortages exposed critical gaps in geographically diversified and sustainable manufacturing.

WHO says the investment will play a pivotal role in strengthening the ability of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to both develop and manufacture the health products their populations need. These include vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics and a broad range of life-saving health technologies.

This new contribution builds on Belgium’s long-standing commitment to supporting global health equity and bolstering the international capacity to respond to future pandemics and health threats.

“Equitable access to medicines and health products is central to universal health coverage and global health security,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Systems, Access and Data. “Belgium’s renewed support expands sustainable manufacturing where it is most needed and strengthens the resilience of the global health ecosystem.”

A Strategic Investment in Global Health Security

Belgium’s multi-year support, covering December 2025 to November 2029, focuses on two strategic goals:

1. Strengthening existing manufacturing capabilities to ensure long-term sustainability and rapid delivery of health products, especially during future pandemics or major public health emergencies.

2. Building strong regional production ecosystems that enable LMICs to sustainably produce innovative health products—from prevention and diagnosis to treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care.

This support will accelerate two major WHO programmes shaping the future of global health technology access:

1. mRNA Technology Transfer Programme (Phase 2.0)

This programme helps LMIC manufacturers become independent producers of mRNA vaccines and therapeutics by 2030. The initiative goes beyond pandemic preparedness and includes mRNA tools targeting priority diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, dengue and certain cancers. It aims to create a globally distributed network of mRNA-capable facilities to prevent future inequities witnessed during COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

2. Health Technology Access Programme (HTAP)

HTAP serves as WHO’s platform for securing technology rights, facilitating licensing arrangements and promoting geographically diversified manufacturing. Initially centred on diagnostics and mRNA technologies, HTAP will expand to other priority health technologies.

The programme builds on the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP), which Belgium championed early on, becoming the first Member State to provide a major contribution. HTAP represents the evolution of C-TAP, integrating lessons from the pandemic and focusing on multi-purpose technologies relevant both during emergencies and in everyday public health.

Strengthening the Foundations for Equitable Access

Belgium’s new investment also reinforces the core systems and enabling structures required to make health products accessible everywhere. This includes:

• Strengthening national regulatory systems so they can achieve and maintain high maturity levels

• Manufacturing ecosystem assessments and country-level capacity building

• Development of global norms and standards for medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and medical devices

• Support for pricing transparency and improved market policies

• Enhanced prioritization of essential medicines, aligned with WHO’s Essential Medicines List (EML)

These pillars directly advance implementation of the WHO Access Roadmap 2025–2030 and contribute to the WHO Fourteenth General Programme of Work, which aims to ensure equitable access to vital health services and technologies worldwide.

Alignment With Global Initiatives

Belgium’s contribution strengthens coordination with broader international efforts, including the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy and the Team Europe Initiative on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies (MAV+), where Belgium plays a leadership role.

Belgium has been a long-term, reliable partner of WHO, consistently supporting efforts to improve global access to high-quality, safe and effective health products, while helping build stronger and more resilient health systems across low-resource settings.