Belgium Pledges €8 Million to WHO to Boost Global Access to Health Technologies

The World Health Organization (WHO) has welcomed a new €8 million, four-year contribution from the Government of Belgium to accelerate equitable access to essential health products and technologies worldwide. The funding, covering December 2025 to November 2029, aims to strengthen geographically diversified and sustainable manufacturing capacity—a key lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The contribution will support low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in developing and producing vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics, and other critical health technologies. It will accelerate two flagship WHO programmes: the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme (Phase 2.0), enabling LMICs to become independent producers of mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics, and the Health Technology Access Programme (HTAP), which facilitates licensing and technology transfer to expand diagnostic and manufacturing capacity.

Belgium’s support also reinforces regulatory system strengthening, manufacturing ecosystem assessments, global norms, pricing transparency, and prioritization of essential medicines. The initiative aligns with WHO’s Access Roadmap 2025–2030 and the EU Global Gateway and MAV+ initiatives, furthering global health equity.

22-12-2025