By Anaïse Boucher-Browning '22 and Manasi Singh '24
Four years ago today, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are struck with the work that has yet to be done on improving pandemic response frameworks, access to diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines and endless more. Today we began the “Better Preparedness for the Next Pandemic” program at Salzburg Global Seminar focused on developing effective and equitable vaccine access models with low- and middle-income countries.
Launching the “Better Preparedness for the Next Pandemic” week-long program is significant. Bringing together world-renowned experts here in Salzburg to focus on developing effective and equitable vaccine access models with low and middle income countries is a necessary step that we are excited to be a part of. The program was initiated and developed by the Pandemic Security Project, an initiative of the Global Health and Development program at the Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College.
The participants include ministers of health from several African countries, representatives of multilateral public health and development institutions, and academics and industry representatives working on vaccine access.
Today’s sessions were an inspiring overview that set the stage for complex themes that will be discussed during the week’s workshops. Participants discussed the lessons learned from the COVAX initiative, the trade-offs inherent in various mechanisms for vaccine procurement, and the importance of centering end-users’ input and needs in the design of future vaccine access processes. There was a lively discussion where key topics raised included the international power dynamics involved in the decision making process of vaccine procurement systems, how public institutions and private companies shape the supply and distribution of health technologies, and the importance of putting in place proactive measures and systems to prepare for an agile response to the next pandemic.
The end goal for this week’s gathering of changemakers is to develop a set of principles and recommendations to inform the work of key decision makers globally who are involved in designing global vaccine access mechanisms.
Dawn Carey and Tori Holt introducing the vision for the seminar