UNICEF to lead global procurement, supply of COVID-19 vaccines

In what could possibly be world's largest and fastest ever operation of its kind, UNICEF has anunced that it will be leing procurement and supply of coronavirus vaccines to ensure that all countries have safe, fast and equitable access to initial doses when y are available.

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is world's largest single vaccine buyer, procuring more than 2 billion doses of various vaccines annually for routine immunisation and outbreak response on behalf of nearly 100 countries.

With several vaccine candidates showing promise, UN ncy, in collaboration with Revolving Fund of Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), will le efforts to procure and supply doses of COVID-19 vaccines on behalf of COVAX Global Vaccines Facility for 92 low and lower-middle-income countries, whose vaccine purchases will be supported by mechanism.

UNICEF will also serve as procurement coordinator to support purchases by 80 higher-income ecomies, which have expressed ir intent to participate in COVAX Facility and would finance vaccines from ir own budgets, it said.

vaccine procurement and distribution effort, involving over 170 ecomies, has potential to become world's largest and fastest ever operation of its kind.

"This is an all-hands on deck partnership between governments, manufacturers and multilateral partners to continue high-stakes fight against COVID-19 pandemic," UNICEF executive director Henrietta Fore said.

"In our collective pursuit of a vaccine, UNICEF is leveraging its unique strengths in vaccine supply to make sure that all countries have safe, fast and equitable access to initial doses when y are available," she said.

UNICEF will undertake se efforts in close collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi Vaccine Alliance, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Invations (CEPI), PAHO, World Bank, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and or partners. COVAX Facility is open to all countries to ensure that country is left without access to a future COVID-19 vaccine.

About 28 manufacturers have shared ir annual production plans for COVID-19 vaccines - through 2023 - with UNICEF, which said in a market assessment that drug makers were willing to collectively produce "unprecedented quantities" of vaccines over coming 1-2 years.

However, manufacturers signalled that investments to support such large-scale production of doses would be highly dependent on, among or things, wher clinical trials were successful, vance purchase agreements were put in place, funding was confirmed, and regulatory and registration pathways were streamlined.

UNICEF said a key next step would be ensuring self-financing ecomies sign up for COVAX Facility by September 18, which would allow COVAX to support early, at-risk investments in increasing manufacturing capacity on a bro scale.

"UNICEF has been a critical partner in Gavi's success over last two deces," Gavi chief executive officer Seth Berkley said.

Over 20 years, Gavi has reached over 760 million children with life-saving vaccines, preventing more than 13 million deaths.

"(UNICEF) helped us reach more than half world’s population with life-saving vaccines." Berkley said.

"This expertise and experience will be important in ensuring that COVAX - as a global effort to procure and deliver safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, on an accelerated timeframe and at an unprecedented scale - can protect most at-risk, wherever y may be in world," he said.

"Toger we can work to end acute st of this pandemic, including its devastating impact on individuals, communities, and ecomies," Berkley ded.

COVAX Global Vaccines Facility is vaccine pillar of ACT-Accelerator, an initiative launched in April to speed up development of medicines to treat COVID-19 and make m available to people everywhere.

It is operated by Gavi, Vaccine Alliance; CEPI, and WHO, alongside multinational and developing country vaccine manufacturers.

facility works to ensure as many countries as possible cooperate to pool development, procurement and allocation of any COVID-19 vaccines.