Strengthening local and regional production of health products, promoting technological innovation, and reducing global inequalities in access to healthcare—these are the objectives of the first call for proposals by the Global Coalition for Local and Regional Production, Innovation, and Equitable Access. The initiative was launched on Tuesday (March 24) at Fiocruz and focuses on projects related to tackling dengue. The call represents progress by the Coalition, one of the main legacies of Brazil’s G20 presidency, led by the Ministry of Health with Fiocruz serving as its executive secretariat.

The call aims to identify and support projects that foster the development of sustainable global networks ensuring essential technologies (such as vaccines, therapies, and diagnostics) for neglected diseases and vulnerable populations. Brazil’s Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, attended the opening session. “The first challenge to be addressed (within the Coalition) was jointly defined by the Steering Committee: dengue. Currently, about half of the world’s population is at risk of contracting the disease, with nearly 400 million infections per year, present on all continents,” he emphasized.

According to the minister, this moment represents progress in addressing dengue in Brazil and worldwide. “We are investing in cooperation, dialogue, and science to promote joint development. We believe in a world with fewer conflicts and greater access to vaccines, medicines, and life. With the launch of the Coalition’s first call for proposals, the idea is to reduce the impacts of supply chain failures in health inputs, especially in countries of the Global South,” Padilha stated.

Jeremy Farrar, Assistant Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Health Promotion, Disease Prevention, and Care, and also chair of the Coalition’s Advisory Committee, attended the launch and emphasized the importance of leadership in such “uncertain times.” He also highlighted global challenges such as inequalities, conflicts, and climate change.

“This call reflects a collective commitment to science, research and development, and health equity—strengthening regional production, promoting innovative technologies for priority diseases, and enabling sustainable scientific and economic growth,” Farrar stated.

For Fiocruz president and executive secretary of the Coalition, Mario Moreira, the call represents a milestone in the initiative’s development. “We have worked to ensure that the Coalition becomes a platform where governments, multilateral organizations, producers, civil society, technical institutions, and regional bodies can move forward together, aligned in purpose and guided by equity,” he said.

Moreira recalled the creation of the Coalition and Fiocruz’s designation as executive secretariat, noting that the initiative was conceived by G20 health ministers and supported voluntarily by governments, international organizations, the private sector, public and philanthropic institutions, academia, and civil society. “We have taken on this responsibility with great honor, but also with full awareness of its importance,” he said. “We see the Coalition not only as a mandate, but as an opportunity for greater unity, responsibility, and stronger coordination among the various strategies, platforms, and initiatives across different regions.”

Following the opening ceremony, Fiocruz Vice President for Health Production and Innovation, Priscila Ferraz, joined a panel providing an overview of the Coalition and analysis of the call. “A key word is access. When we think about access, it is not enough to focus only on development, but on the entire chain that ensures a product or health technology reaches those who truly need it,” she noted. “We are encouraging, by the very nature of the Coalition, proposals in consortium format, including public-private partnerships, not only within countries but also across regions, to truly boost research, development, innovation, and production capacity.” Marise Nogueira, head of the Ministry of Health’s Special Office for International Affairs, also contributed to the discussion.

Rosane Cuber, director of the Institute of Immunobiological Technology (Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz), moderated a panel on how other initiatives can contribute to the Coalition’s goals. Participants included Fernanda de Negri, Secretary of Science, Technology, and Innovation in Health at Brazil’s Ministry of Health; Bertrand Millet, head of Health Policy and International Relations at France’s Ministry of Health; Cristian Morales, PAHO/WHO representative in Brazil; and Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI. Cuber emphasized the need for synergy: “The Coalition’s challenge is to ensure that initiatives are strategically aligned with the existing ecosystem. By acting in a coordinated manner, the initiative will expand its impact and achieve its goal of strengthening national sovereignty and meeting the needs of the most vulnerable populations.”

Equitable access to health technologies

Members of the Coalition’s Steering and Advisory Committees met in person for the first time on the morning of March 24 at Fiocruz. They discussed operational issues, including the call for proposals. Focused on identifying high-impact projects that address inequities, the call seeks proposals that meet local, national, or regional needs, including multinational initiatives and, where applicable, those with potential for replication or adaptation in other contexts.

By promoting the strengthening of local and regional capacities and international cooperation, the call aims to make health technologies more accessible, available, and aligned with public health needs, contributing to reducing global inequalities. Governments, international organizations, public and private institutions, and non-profit organizations are eligible to apply.

Global Coalition

The Global Coalition for Local and Regional Production, Innovation, and Equitable Access was formalized with the signing of the Geneva Charter on May 20, 2025, during the 78th World Health Assembly. Its goal is to address emerging issues and interconnected challenges: the concentration of scientific, R&D, and production capacity in life sciences, technology, and health in a small number of countries; fragile supply chains; regulatory asymmetries; and limited integration between innovation, production, and access, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

The initiative arises from a commitment to overcoming health inequities worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic, advancing a new model for production and access to innovation in essential health technologies, such as vaccines, therapies, and diagnostics for neglected diseases and vulnerable populations.