WHO and HERA Push Regional Pooled Procurement for Health Emergencies

The workshop also highlighted the role of the interim Medical Countermeasures Network, known as i-MCM-Net, which brings global and regional actors into the same forum to reduce duplication and improve coordination during outbreaks.

The World Health Organization and the European Commission's Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority are stepping up work on regional pooled procurement, bringing together global and regional partners to improve how countries secure vaccines, diagnostics, treatments and other critical medical supplies during health emergencies.

The second workshop on regional pooled procurement mechanisms was held in Kuala Lumpur on 8 June 2026 alongside the Global Health Security Conference, with support from the Regionalized Vaccine Manufacturing Collaborative. Participants included representatives from WHO, HERA, PAHO, Africa CDC, Thailand's National Vaccine Institute, the National University of Singapore, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

The meeting focused on moving pooled procurement from broad policy discussion into practical planning, with participants looking at how national, regional and global systems can work together when demand rises quickly during an outbreak.

Pooled Procurement Seen as Part of a Wider Emergency System

WHO officials stressed that pooled procurement cannot work effectively in isolation, because access to medical countermeasures depends on a wider system that includes manufacturing, financing, stockpiles, research, allocation rules and national decision-making.

Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, Director a.i. of WHO's Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Management, said regional pooled procurement should be viewed as one part of an ecosystem that can respond faster and distribute health products more fairly when emergencies emerge. The workshop also highlighted the role of the interim Medical Countermeasures Network, known as i-MCM-Net, which brings global and regional actors into the same forum to reduce duplication and improve coordination during outbreaks.

Financing Needs to Match Demand and Governance

A major part of the discussion centred on financing, with multilateral development banks examining how countries and regional institutions can secure money quickly enough to purchase critical health products before shortages deepen.

Participants discussed options such as pooled financing, pre-financing arrangements and demand guarantees, while also noting that funding by itself does not guarantee access. Financial mechanisms need to be connected to clear demand signals, procurement plans and governance systems so that available money can translate into actual deliveries.

This becomes particularly important during fast-moving emergencies, when countries may be competing for limited global supplies and delays in financing can reduce their ability to secure vaccines, treatments or diagnostics when they are most needed.

Global and Regional Coordination Can Reduce Duplication

Laurent Muschel, Deputy Head of DG HERA, pointed to the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak as an example of how coordination through i-MCM-Net can help prioritize procurement requests and prevent different institutions from pursuing the same supplies without coordination.

He also stressed the need for allocation systems that can move quickly while remaining grounded in public health evidence, particularly when decisions have to be made about which countries or populations receive limited medical products first.

Regional manufacturing was another important part of the discussion, with participants looking at how pooled procurement can support more stable demand for locally produced vaccines and other health products. Luigi Bonfatti of the RVMC Secretariat said sharing lessons between regions, including both successes and setbacks, would be important for building stronger systems.

Preparedness Work Must Start Before the Next Crisis

Participants agreed that regional procurement systems need investment during quieter periods rather than being built only after an emergency begins. Trust between countries, institutions and suppliers takes time to develop, while financing arrangements and procurement rules are easier to establish before pressure rises.

The workshop also explored how emergency surge mechanisms can evolve into more sustainable models that support regular demand, stronger regional manufacturing and more reliable financing over time. The broader message from the meeting was that faster access during future health emergencies will depend on how well national decisions, regional procurement and global coordination are linked together before the next crisis arrives.