FIND and Unitaid invest US$2 million to support advocacy for COVID-19 test-and-treat approaches in low- and middle-income countries

  • FIND and Unitaid are supporting 21 in-country advocacy partners across 19 low- and middle-income countries to develop and implement advocacy strategies that will improve uptake of test-and-treat approaches to combat COVID-19
  • Projects will raise awareness of COVID-19 testing and treatment among the public, key opinion leaders, and specific high-risk and vulnerable groups
  • Sitting within broader advocacy efforts, this initiative was conceptualised and executed by the Country Support Working Group, led by UNICEF, within the ACT-A Diagnostics Pillar
  • This initiative complements a previously announced investment by FIND and Unitaid of US$50 million to support early adoption of test-and-treat care packages

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND. FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics and Unitaid are investing US$2 million in a coordinated advocacy programme spanning 19 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) designed to boost access and uptake of COVID-19 tests and treatments. A total of 21 organizations with a diverse range of healthcare expertise have been selected from more than 300 applicants, following a request for proposals (RFP) and competitive selection process that included assessment by a panel of independent reviewers. Criteria for funding included previous public health advocacy experience and expected impact of test-and-treat advocacy in the targeted region.

FIND co-leads the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator Diagnostics Pillar, while Unitaid co-leads the Therapeutics Pillar. The Diagnostics Pillar’s Country Support Working Group, led by UNICEF, includes an Advocacy, Communications and Community Engagement (ACCE) Task Force (co-led by CHAI and UNICEF), which supports test-and-treat advocacy. This initiative follows the independent ACT-Accelerator strategic review that was published in October 2021, as well as calls from civil society, which both highlighted the need for increased inclusion and meaningful engagement of LMICs, regional bodies, civil society organizations, and community representatives in the COVID-19 response. Funded activities will provide avenues for stronger involvement of these key stakeholder groups in COVID-19 test-and-treat approaches.

Projects range in duration from 6 to 18 months, and will raise awareness of COVID-19 testing and treatment among the public, key opinion leaders, and specific high-risk and vulnerable groups. Partners include (listed alphabetically by country): Mhair Educational, Health and Human Rights Organization (Afghanistan), Family Planning Association of Bangladesh (Bangladesh), IMAG Communication (Burkina Faso), Maison des Associations de lutte contre le Sida (Burkina Faso), Health Poverty Action Cambodia (Cambodia), Caritas Développement Mbujimayi (Democratic Republic of the Congo), TB Alert India (India), Pi Consulting (India), Kenya AIDS NGOs Consortium (Kenya), Health Poverty Action Laos (Laos), Caritas Lesotho (Lesotho), ESTAMOS (Mozambique), REDTRANS (Nicaragua), Shifa Foundation (Pakistan), Media for Deaf Rwanda (Rwanda), South Sudan Community Change Agency (South Sudan), Sikika (Tanzania), Université Mahmoud El Materi (Tunisia), HEPS (Uganda), Zambia Interfaith Working Group (Zambia), Pan-African Treatment Access Movement (Zimbabwe). Further information on these partners and their projects is included in the annex.

Bill Rodriguez, CEO of FIND, said: “We have the tools to defeat this pandemic, but in many areas of the world they are still not accessible to those who need them. Armed with learnings from the fight against HIV, we know that impact is best achieved when communities are empowered to advocate for patients to receive timely and appropriate test-and-treat services.”

Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid, said: “We now have treatment options that can prevent hospitalizations and deaths for those at high risk of developing severe or critical COVID-19. Timely deployment of adequate tests and treatments in low-resource settings, especially for the people at risk of severe cases, will be key in the response to the pandemic. And supporting civil society organizations and communities, at the heart of this endeavour, is crucial for its success.”

Alexandre Costa, Senior Health Advisor at UNICEF and a co-lead of the ACCE Task Force, said: “While we have greater innovations in diagnostics for COVID-19, we are faced with a global decrease in testing rates and persisting challenges around equitable access.  Testing is a key element of the response, and the best tool we have to detect outbreaks early, reduce transmission and limit the social and economic impact.   Engaging communities in LMICs in a test and treat approach brings us closer to our shared goal of more equitable access.”

Renuka Gadde, Senior Advisor for Global Diagnostics at CHAI and co-lead of the ACCE Task Force, said: “Testing is critical to prevent outbreaks and end the pandemic, yet it is still not regularly occurring in many low- and middle-income countries. Working with governments and communities, we can help drive understanding based on countries’ unique needs to reduce bottlenecks and ensure that tests are not only available but are regularly conducted.”

Carolyn Gomes, civil society representative to the ACT-Accelerator, said: “Financial resources are absolutely essential to the sustained mobilization of community and civil society organizations toward any disease response, with these grants providing a crucial boost to efforts to advance COVID test and treat awareness and advocacy strategies. The ACT-A community and civil society representatives to the diagnostics and therapeutics pillars applaud Unitaid and FIND’s recognition of the essential role of local community and civil society participation in health literacy and dialogue on public health policy, as well as the importance of community and civil society awareness and mobilization to maximizing equity of and access to public health interventions.”

This work complements a previously announced investment by FIND and Unitaid of US$50 million, which addresses inequities in access to COVID-19 testing and treatment, as well as supporting early adoption of comprehensive, effective, and safe care packages for people with COVID-19. More recently, at the Second Global COVID-⁠19 Summit, the Global Fund, USAID and Unitaid, together with FIND and other ACT-Accelerator partners, announced more than US$120 million to support test-and-treat implementation with locally led solutions in over 20 low- and middle-income countries.

 

Annex: List of selected partners and projects

 

About FIND

FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics, seeks to ensure equitable access to reliable diagnosis around the world. We connect countries and communities, funders, decision-makers, healthcare providers and developers to spur diagnostic innovation and make testing an integral part of sustainable, resilient health systems. We are working to save 1 million lives through accessible, quality diagnosis, and save US$1 billion in healthcare costs to patients and health systems. We are co-convener of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator diagnostics pillar, and a WHO Collaborating Centre for Laboratory Strengthening and Diagnostic Technology Evaluation. For more information, please visit www.finddx.org

 

About Unitaid

Unitaid is a global health agency engaged in finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases more quickly, cheaply, and effectively, in low- and middle-income countries. Its work includes funding initiatives to address major diseases such as HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as HIV co-infections and co-morbidities including advanced HIV disease, cervical cancer, and hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever management. Unitaid is now applying its expertise to address challenges in advancing new therapies and diagnostics for the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a key member of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, co-leading with Wellcome the Therapeutics Pillar and participating in the Diagnostics Pillar. Unitaid is hosted by the World Health Organization. For more information, please visit www.unitaid.org

 

About the ACT-Accelerator

The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator is a global coalition of organizations developing and deploying the new diagnostics, treatments and vaccines needed to end the acute phase of the pandemic. Pooling the expertise of its many partners, the ACT-Accelerator has quickly ushered in rapid, affordable tests and effective medicines for low and middle-income countries and established the COVAX facility for the equitable procurement and distribution of vaccines in low- and lower-middle-income countries. The ACT Accelerator partnership was formed at the onset of the pandemic in response to a call from G20 leaders, and was launched by WHO, the European Commission, France, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Media contacts:

FIND

Sarah-Jane Loveday
Director of Communications
M: +41 79 431 62 44
media@finddx.org

 

Unitaid

Maggie Zander
Communications officer
M: +41 79 593 17 74
zanderm@unitaid.who.int

Hundreds of millions of lives reached with advances in healthcare in Unitaid’s 15 years

Unitaid marks 15th anniversary, celebrates greater equity in global health

  • More than 150 transformational health products introduced, improving care and health outcomes for more than 100 million people each year.
  • With improvements to efficiency and effectiveness, these products will generate more than US$5 billion in savings by 2030.
  • Game-changing interventions include: top HIV treatments; first-ever medicine formulations for treating HIV, curing TB, and preventing malaria in children; all malaria prevention tools; and screen-and-treat solutions for cervical cancer.
  • United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres commends Unitaid’s agile approach in a statement marking the anniversary.

Geneva – In advance of its 15th anniversary, Unitaid today announced the impact of its efforts to create better, faster, more equitable health responses.

In the past 15 years, Unitaid has unlocked access to more than 150 advances in health technologies, transforming care for the more than 100 million people each year who benefit from the products.

These include: the best and most widely used HIV treatments; the first-ever medicines for treating children with HIV and TB and preventing malaria; screen-and-treat solutions for cervical cancer; and all tools currently used in malaria prevention.

Unitaid has also taken a leadership role in the COVID-19 response as a key member of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A), helping deliver the most coordinated global health effort of the past century.

With a total budget of less than 1% of the global investment needed for TB, HIV and malaria combined, Unitaid-supported products will generate more than US$5 billion in savings by 2030.

Unitaid delivers this impact by identifying breakthrough health products and addressing the barriers that limit their wide-scale use.

“Thanks to Unitaid, more people across Africa have access to the best HIV treatments at a fraction of the original price. Young children have been cured of tuberculosis with high-quality formulations that are easy to administer. Millions of young people are better protected against malaria through large-scale seasonal delivery of medicines, an approach that has dramatically reduced child mortality without raising costs,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in a statement marking the anniversary.

“Unitaid has advanced the quality of care for hundreds of millions of people worldwide who benefit from the game-changing health innovations we introduced. But with 2030 targets looming and massive setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to overcome, Unitaid’s work is now more critical than ever,” said Dr Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid.

“For 15 years, Unitaid has been supporting countries to scale up innovations that save lives. WHO is proud to work with Unitaid  to identify gaps and design interventions that are most needed to protect and promote health. By working to make sure innovations do not get stuck on their path to scale up, the entire global health system benefits from Unitaid’s model,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO).

“I am delighted to join people from all around the world in congratulating Unitaid on 15 years of lifesaving work. Since its creation in 2006, Unitaid has been one of the most effective organizations working in global health and global development,” said former United States President Bill Clinton, founder of the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).

Unitaid was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Chile, France, Norway, and the United Kingdom to fight growing inequities in health. It has pioneered the introduction of critical interventions that are the mainstays of global health responses today.

Its funders have since grown to include Japan, the Republic of Korea, Spain and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with additional support in response to COVID-19 from Canada, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Wellcome.

Unitaid will mark its 15th anniversary at a high-level event on 22 May, during the World Health Assembly in Geneva, celebrating the achievements in global health delivered with its partners and galvanising momentum to tackle the challenges that remain.

Media contacts:

For more information and media requests:

Hervé Verhoosel, Head of Communications, M: +41 79 249 35 29, verhooselh@unitaid.who.int

Maggie Zander, Communications officer, M: +41 79 593 17 74, zanderm@unitaid.who.int

UN Secretary-General commends Unitaid’s commitment to health equity and innovation in advance of 15th anniversary

Geneva – Unitaid will celebrate its anniversary on the eve of the World Health Assembly this 22 May at a high-level event that will bring together partners from governments, implementing agencies, civil society and affected communities. In recognition of Unitaid’s 15-year history and its leadership role in global health, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued the following statement of support.

I am pleased to mark the 15th anniversary of Unitaid and its critical role in breaking down barriers in low- and middle-income countries to scale up innovative health services and products to ensure health for all and realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Thanks to Unitaid, more people across Africa have access to the best HIV treatments at a fraction of the original price. Young children have been cured of tuberculosis with high-quality formulations that are easy to administer. Millions of young people are better protected against malaria through large-scale seasonal delivery of medicines, an approach that has dramatically reduced child mortality without raising costs.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for equitable access to health commodities and strong, coordinated global health responses. Unitaid’s agile approach enables innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases, saves precious time and helps strengthen our collective capacity to respond to current and future health threats.

I commend Unitaid’s commitment to health equity and innovation in addressing global challenges. My warmest congratulations for your outstanding efforts in advancing global health and saving lives.

On World Health Day, Unitaid rallies around the “Our Planet, our Health” campaign

Geneva – Unitaid joins partners to observe World Health Day 2022 today, reaffirming its strong commitment to contribute to keep humans and the planet healthy.

Climate change has been identified as the single biggest health threat of the 21st century, already harming the world’s most vulnerable people and menacing to undermine decades of progress in global health.

Global warming multiplies the risk of floods, storms, drought and heat waves worldwide, driving non-communicable and infectious diseases, including mosquito-borne diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), climate change may put two billion more people at risk of dengue infection and cause an additional 250,000 deaths per year between 2030 and 2050, mainly from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress.

Unitaid’s role is to enable access to lifesaving health products for those who need them most, fast-tracking the innovations needed to make a transformative impact on global health. In addition to contributing to the response to climate change impacts on global health – mainly targeting infectious diseases and cross-cutting areas such as fever management and maternal and child health – Unitaid is helping address the causes of rising temperatures with carbon emissions-cutting efforts.

In line with the Paris Agreement goals, Unitaid has committed to halve the carbon emissions of its Secretariat by 2030 and offset its carbon footprint to effectively achieve net-zero emissions from 2022.

Unitaid’s Climate Action Roadmap, launched during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) at the end of 2021, maps out the way forward to achieve these targets, by decarbonizing its procurements, reducing the footprint of its business travels, raising awareness of its staff and neutralizing its remaining footprint from 2022 onwards by purchasing independently verified carbon credits. The use of carbon offset will be limited and strictly positioned as a transition tool to internalize the cost of carbon while contributing to the financing of the global net-zero transition.

Unitaid is also working hand in hand with its grant implementers and other partners to identify sustainable low carbon strategies and opportunities to establish and embed greener grant management modalities in its operating model.

Preventing greenhouse gas emission in reducing the carbon emissions of its investments and of the health innovations it supports are priorities reflected in Unitaid’s upcoming 2022-2026 strategy.

Unitaid is strongly committed to ensuring equitable access to quality health products while contributing to an environmentally responsible and sustainable global health response.

World Health Day is celebrated on 7 April each year and marks the anniversary of the founding of WHO in 1948.

#HealthierTomorrow

Media contact:

For more information and media requests:

Sarah Mascheroni

Communications officer

Email: mascheronisa@unitaid.who.int

Mobile: +41 79 728 73 11

Call for PRC membership applications March 2022

Geneva – Unitaid is pleased to issue a call for applications of experts to replenish its Proposal Review Committee (PRC) for the period June 2022 – June 2025.

Unitaid designs and invests in innovative approaches to make quality health products available and affordable in low- and middle-income countries. It inspires and promotes collective efforts with partners, countries, and communities, unlocking access to the tools, services and care that can deliver the best results, improve health and address global health priorities. PRC is Unitaid’s independent, impartial team of experts, chaired by Mr. Andy Gray, who provide scientific, public health, health systems, programmatic, country implementation, market dynamics and health economics expertise to Unitaid in its advisory capacity. PRC works closely with the Unitaid Secretariat in the Joint Review Committee, reviews proposals submitted for funding and draft grant agreement documents according to established criteria.

Applications for PRC membership are welcome to fill both the Core Member and Disease/issue specific Member functions. For further detail on PRC Member functions, requirements, expertise, working procedures and the process of selection, please refer to the PRC Terms of Reference.

Process for proposal submission

Interested experts should send their CV and letter of motivation to proposalsunitaid@who.int by close of business CEST on Thursday 7 April 2022. Applications received past the indicated deadline will not be considered. 

N.B. An application is considered submitted only once you receive an e-mail message of confirmation of receipt from Unitaid.

The letter of motivation should clearly state whether the applicant wishes to be considered for the Core Member and/or Disease/issue specific Member functions and should clearly indicate which area(s) of expertise outlined in the PRC Terms of Reference he/she could cover. PRC Members are senior experts, therefore any claim of area of expertise has to be supported with evidence of at least 10 years of expertise and/or references from organizations where expertise has previously been provided.

The work of the PRC is guided by strict conflict of interest rules, therefore Unitaid cannot engage experts that have current or recent (over the past 6 months) long term employment as a staff member or full time consultant (or part -time in the case of Core Members) with a Unitaid grantee on an active grant.

After assessment of the applications and endorsement by the Unitaid Board during its meeting in June 2022 all applicants will be officially notified as to whether their application has been successful.

More info about this call:

Mārtiņš Pāvelsons

Governance Manager

+41 79 254 68 15  Mob

pavelsonsm@unitaid.who.int

Former French Minister Marisol Touraine reelected chair of the Unitaid Executive Board; Unitaid on track to deliver its new strategy for 2022-26

Geneva – At its virtual 39th meeting, the Unitaid Executive Board reelected Marisol Touraine as Board Chair for a further two-year term. Ms Touraine will continue in the position until June 2024.

Marisol Touraine is former French Minister of Social Affairs, Health and Women’s Rights and has served as chair of the Unitaid Executive Board since June 2019.

“I am grateful to the Executive Board for this vote of confidence,” said Ms Touraine. “I remain fully committed to support and ensure Unitaid delivers successfully on its mandate of making equitable access to innovative health solutions a reality for all.”

During her tenure as chair, Ms Touraine helped to strengthen Unitaid’s governance and create greater transparency and inclusivity. The Executive Board’s strategic leadership has brought clear guidance to the Secretariat and delivered informed decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic. With sustained mobilization from the Board, Unitaid has gained visibility and recognition, triggering interest and contributions from new donors.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Unitaid has managed to adapt and evolve, demonstrating the relevance of its model and how its unique expertise and leadership is essential and complements the work of other key global health players in delivering effective solutions.

“I applaud the reelection of Marisol Touraine as chair of the Unitaid Executive Board. This is the result of her invaluable leadership and strategic guidance,” Unitaid Executive Director Dr Philippe Duneton said. “The renewal of her mandate is timely as Unitaid enters the last phase of developing its new strategic plan for the next five years. Marisol’s contribution and engagement alongside our Board members are key in the success of this endeavour.”

During this two-day session, the board also agreed on a strategic framework for Unitaid’s new strategy for 2022-26, keeping the Secretariat on track to approve its ambitious and transformative strategic plan next year.

This collaborative work the Secretariat is steering builds on Unitaid’s current strengths and reinforces its position in a fast-evolving global health landscape. It was developed based on lessons learnt from the   COVID-19 global health crisis and defines where and how Unitaid can bring the greatest impact.

The new strategy is a step forward in Unitaid’s ambition to bring innovative, integrated, end-to-end solutions to those who need them most. Fully financing its implementation will be key and continued support from the Executive Board for resource mobilization efforts remain crucial.

“We had very constructive and vivid discussions around Unitaid’s future during this board. I am pleased we have been able to bring together the richness of different perspectives and provide clear directions for the next steps of the development of our new strategy,” said Marisol Touraine.

“In addition to taking on a lead role in the global COVID-19 response, in 2021 we moved forward in developing our next strategy in collaboration with the Board and aggressively ramped up efforts to mobilize resources in an increasingly competitive environment,” Dr Duneton added. “I believe we are well prepared as an organization to meet the challenges ahead.”

Media contact

For more information and media requests:

Hervé Verhoosel

Mobile: +44 77 29 618 634

Email: verhooselh@unitaid.who.int

Unitaid Secretariat Management Response to Unitaid 2017-2021 Strategy Review