Partnerships for innovation, access and delivery: Strengthening health systems to advance pandemic preparedness and human security in Africa

About us

ADP works to ensure that people in low- and middle-income countries have access to life-saving health technologies – medicines, vaccines and diagnostic tools – with an emphasis on those technologies that address tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases.

The partners

ADP brings together the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) and PATH in a unique partnership that helps identify and strengthen capacity gaps in low- and middle-income countries in an innovative and integrated way.

Strengthening national health systems

In line with the overarching approach of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, ADP adopts a systemic and integrated perspective towards health system strengthening, aimed at the interlinked targets of eliminating communicable and infectious diseases and achieving real progress towards universal health coverage.

Supporting national responses to COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical importance of ensuring equitable access to health services, as well as increasing availability of medicines, vaccines and diagnostic tools in response to established and emerging health threats.

Regional, global and
South-South cooperation

Focusing on common challenges across different health systems, ADP leverages the experiences and expertise of its network of stakeholders to deliver both policy lessons and technical solutions.

Focus countries

ADP collaborates with stakeholders in a number of focus countries – Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malawi, Senegal, United Republic of Tanzania and Thailand
– to implement a range of capacity-strengthening interventions, which are in line with the ADP strategic approach of leveraging the expertise of its four core partners and working across sectors to help strengthen and harmonize policies, regulations and systems, as well as build the capacities of key people and institutions.

Uniting Efforts

The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how close collaboration among multiple stakeholders can overcome major hurdles to the development, approval and delivery of new medicines, vaccines and diagnostic tools. But opportunities for such intense collaboration are rare, and access to new health technologies remains uneven.

Knowledge products

ADP knowledge products advance learning and contribute to improved policies, programmes and practices, as well as demonstrate human impact on the ground.

TDR Implementation research toolkit

This toolkit is designed to help teams conduct implementation research projects through a standard process to ensure reliable, high-quality results.

COVID-19 diagnostics procurement resource

An interactive tool to support procurement decisions by aggregating and streamlining publicly available information about the technical specifications, regulatory status and supply of COVID-19 diagnostic tests.

A pipeline analysis of new products for malaria, tuberculosis and neglected tropical diseases

This working paper provides a comprehensive survey of new medicines, diagnostics and vaccines for malaria, TB and selected NTDs, that are currently in the pipeline for market entry by 2020.

Digital Health for Development Hub

A one-stop shop with technical, advisory and partnership support for scaling up digital health solutions.

Co-sponsored by

Recording of the event

About the event

As the world faces multiple interconnected crises, including the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, the global community is being tested in its commitment to “leave no one behind”. Global collaboration at unprecedented scale and speed is possible, as has been well demonstrated by the record pace set in the research and development of the multiple COVID-19 vaccines. Yet the availability of these vaccines only signals the start of a long journey towards equitable access. The deficiencies in our collective response to COVID-19 provide useful lessons for the future. The measures adopted now to address COVID-19 – from tackling the current inequities in global vaccine access, to the existing fragility of national health systems, and the need to protect the vulnerable and marginalized – will have significant implications for the outlook for sustainable human development and achievement of universal health coverage.

These lessons are critical for the design of an improved response to COVID-19 and to prevent future pandemics. The improved response must also not neglect other health priorities – including combating tuberculosis (TB), malaria and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). These endemic diseases persist in many low- and middle-income countries, including in the Africa region, with significant health, economic and social consequences. In 2020, COVID-19 disruptions caused TB and malaria diagnoses to drop by 59 percent and 31 percent, respectively, and there were 1 million fewer people treated for TB and 45,000 additional malaria-related deaths. There is still an urgent need for safe and effective tools to prevent, diagnose and treat NTDs, which continue to impact 1.7 billion people worldwide. Access to health services for TB, malaria and NTDs should be regarded as a benchmark towards progress.

An approach that recognizes global health security as essential for realizing human security and sustainable development is needed, with a view to achieving universal health coverage. This approach requires an equitable pandemic response and strengthened health systems, while at the same time, enhancing prevention, preparedness and resilience for future outbreaks and pandemics. A crucial lesson from COVID-19 but also from the experiences of tackling AIDS, Ebola and SARS, amongst others, is that global cooperation and partnerships are vital for success. It is timely for the global community to marshal its combined resources to invest in innovative partnerships that can provide a foundation for effective and sustained action. This side event will bring together key national, regional and global actors to share insights on the measures and actions towards achieving health security. The discussion will address a range of issues, including financing, research and technology, manufacturing as well as regulation and delivery.

Visit the TICAD8 Conference website for more information.

Language interpretation is available in English, French and Japanese.