News & Insights

As the governance body of the World Health Organization (WHO) meets next week for the 154th session of the Executive Board (EB)—which features agenda items on immunization, tuberculosis (TB), neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), and antimicrobial resistance (AMR)—GHTC urges policymakers to prioritize the following actions to strengthen research and development (R&D) to address these urgent health challenges:Develop a comprehensive global immunization research framework to support the goals of the Immunization Agenda 2030. The framework should outline priority research areas and foster global collaboration to address research gaps and accelerate vaccine development and introduction.Substantially increase investments in TB R&D and embrace global research coordinating platforms. To meet the goals of the Global Strategy on Tuberculosis Research and Innovation, member states must increase domestic investments in TB R&D in line with fair share targets and supercharge research efforts to develop novel vaccines, point-of-care diagnostics, and improved therapies, while ensuring tools are appropriate for all populations, including pregnant people and children. Member states should also embrace platforms that support improved TB research coordination, such as the new prioritized research agenda for drug-resistant TB and common research protocols.Expand investments in NTD R&D to address gaps in the availability of safe and affordable diagnostics and treatments. In implementing research efforts to support the NTD roadmap, member states and WHO should position impacted countries to lead in R&D priority setting, promote South-South collaboration models, consider the growing impact of climate change, and ensure interventions are tailored to the unique needs of different regions. They should also consider ways to better align the prequalification and regulatory approval processes to accelerate access to diagnostics.Bolster investments and incentives for R&D for new antimicrobials and other tools to fight AMR and improve global surveillance and laboratory capacity. Innovations should be developed with the goal of promoting broad accessibility, including for vulnerable populations and those in low-resource settings. Members states should actively participate in the global surveillance system for AMR and support the creation of a global AMR laboratory network to strengthen diagnostic capacity. In advance of this year’s United Nations (UN) High-Level Meeting on AMR, it is also vital that WHO and other relevant UN agencies hold an open, inclusive consultative process to define global AMR priorities.Read GHTC’s full position statements on each agenda item below.