Policy Updates

On May 28, 2024, German State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth became the first high-ranking German official to meet the new Senegalese government following President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s election, where he discussed energy transition, local vaccine production, and creating jobs for the local youth population.

Flasbarth emphasized the long-standing partnership between Germany and Senegal, particularly in renewable energy, highlighting Senegal's peaceful governmental transition as a sign of its robust democracy.

Senegal's government expressed commitment to continuing its strong partnership with Germany, especially within the framework of the Just Energy Transition Partnership established in 2023. The partnership involves multiple international stakeholders and aims to enhance energy supply, reduce poverty, and create job opportunities, especially for young people. Flasbarth’s visit also addressed vocational training and support for small enterprises to generate new income opportunities.

The cooperation includes establishing a vaccine production facility in Diamniadio and creating an independent regulatory body for vaccine approval. The initiative aims to position Senegal as a key player in the West African public health sector by enhancing local medicine and vaccine supply capabilities.

Six German ministries released a joint research agreement on October 6, 2022 to strengthen the One Health approach in Germany's health research.
Under the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMLE), the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG), the Federal Ministry of Defense (BMVg), the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), as well as the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) are cooperating on that topic. While the BMBF, BMLE, BMG and BMVg adopted a joint research agreement in 2006, the BMUV and BMZ joined the cooperation to ensure a more holistic approach to One Health research on the national and international level.

The German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Svenja Schulze, announced on February 1, 2022, that Germany plans to support South Africa, Ghana, Rwanda, and Senegal with building their capacity to produce their own COVID-19 vaccines.

According to Schulze, it is pivotal to increase know-how on vaccine production in African partner countries to ensure a sufficient supply of COVID-19 vaccines in the short-term, but potentially Malaria vaccines in the future. Schulze considers a waiver of COVID-19 patents ineffective and instead stresses the importance of improving the logistics of vaccine distribution and the supply of personal protective equipment to improve access to COVID-19 vaccines in African countries. Schulze's aversion to COVID-19 vaccine patents is met with opposition by many advocates in the field.

News article – Zeit Online (in German)

Germany joined the Kigali Declaration on NTDs on January 29, 2022, just before World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Day. The declaration is a commitment by multiple governments, industry leaders, and NGOs to deliver a joint approach and ambitious targets to combat NTDs.

Germany’s Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Svenja Schulze, expressed Germany’s support for reaching the declaration’s objectives and made an optimistic statement, that strengthening health systems, improving the access to health care, and incorporating the One Health approach (the nexus between health and environment) to a greater extent, will achieve substantial progress in combating NTDs until 2030.

The Kigali Declaration on NTDs launched on January 27, 2021, and operates as the successor to the London Declaration on NTDs that was launched in 2012 and expired in 2020. The declaration seeks to implement the objectives set out in the World Health Organization's Roadmap for NTDs for 2021 - 2030. The new declaration focuses on the ownership of the most affected countries and regions, as well as partnership-based action by all signatories.

Press release - Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (in German)

Policy Cures Research published its latest G-FINDER report entitled "Neglected Disease Research and Development: New Perspectives,' on January 27, 2022, which provides a comprehensive analysis of global investment in research and development to address neglected diseases in low-income countries in 2020.

The report reviews the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and outlines the impact of the crisis on neglected tropical disease funding, which dropped 4% globally from 2019. With a total US$3.9 billion in funding, 2020 sits well above neglected disease funding's long-term average.

Australia: Australia contributed US$46 million in neglected disease funding in 2020, prioritizing malaria, dengue, bacterial pneumonia & meningitis, hepatitis B and C, rheumatic fever, Buruli ulcer, and scabies. Australia is the third-largest public funder of neglected disease per capita, at US$3.39 per US$100,000 following the United States and United Kingdom.

Canada: Canada contributed US$12 million to neglected disease funding in 2020, the ninth-largest public funder.

EU: The European Commission was the third-largest public funder of neglected diseases in 2020; it was the only public funder to increase funding compared to 2019. The US$41 million increase (33%) to US$164 million was largely driven by support for tuberculosis research, which increased by US$23 million.

France: France contributed US$40 million to neglected disease funding in 2020, the seventh-largest public funder, prioritizing Leptospirosis.

Germany: Germany contributed US$55 million to public neglected disease funding in 2020, the fifth-largest funder.

Japan: Japan contributed US$12 million in neglected disease funding in 2020, prioritizing Buruli ulcer and mycetoma, as the tenth-largest public funder.

Netherlands: The Netherlands contributed US$11 million in neglected disease funding in 2020, the eleventh-largest public funder.

Sweden: Sweden contributed US$11 million in neglected disease funding in 2020, the twelfth-largest public funder.

United Kingdom: The United Kingdom was the second-largest public contributor to neglected diseases with US$187 million in funding in both absolute and per capita terms. It has remained the second-largest funder for 5 years. It prioritized HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, diarrhoeal disease, kinetoplastid disease, helminth, Salmonella, dengue, bacterial pneumonia and meningitis, cryptococcal meningitis, snakebite envenoming, leprosy, scabies, and mycetoma research.

United States: The United States remained the largest public funder of neglected diseases by far, following historical trends, with US$1.9 billion in total funding. It remained the top-funder in the neglected disease space in both absolute and per capita terms.

High-income country (HIC) governments provided the vast majority of global funding (63%), followed by the philanthropic sector (21%), industry (12%); the remaining 4% was divided between multilateral organizations and low- and middle-income country governments.

The philanthropic sector provided US$823 million of funding for neglected diseases, an 3.6% increase from 2019. Top donors include the Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, Open Philanthrophy, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Fundació La Caixa, and funds raised from the general public. Wellcome Trust and Open Philanthropy uped their contributions in 2020, making up the bulk of the increase in the philanthropic sector. 95% of all philanthropic funding for neglected diseases in philanthropy comes from the top three funders, Gates, Wellcome, and Open Philanthropy.

While overall funding decreased minimally, G-FINDER is worried about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises on neglected tropical disease funding in the future. The team expects that widespread focus on the COVID-19 pandemic could take away from resources and attention funders might otherwise have given to neglected diseases. The immediate impact of COVID-19 is most evident, however, in clinical trials. Funding in this sector for neglected diseases fell by US$124 million, or a 10% drop from 2019, and is mainly attributed to difficulties in conducting trials due to lockdowns and travel restrictions.

Report - Policy Cures Research

Executive Summary - Policy Cures Research

On November 25, 2021, human rights lawyers threatened legal action against the Canadian, German, Norwegian, and UK governments for obstructing global efforts to increase access to COVID-19 vaccines and other healthcare technologies.

The action comes as state delegates prepare to negotiate the future global rules governing the supply of COVID-19 vaccines and other healthcare technologies at next week’s Ministerial Conference of the WTO. The development of prospective domestic lawsuits in each country will be pursued if these governments fail to support the waiver of intellectual property over COVID-19 vaccines and healthcare technologies proposed by South Africa and India in response to the pandemic at the WTO last year. The waiver of intellectual property would allow for COVID-19 vaccines to be developed by more companies, which would expand access to vaccines and healthcare technology in low- and middle-income countries that are currently struggling to access COVID-19 vaccines.

A letter signed by multiple organizations and human rights experts warned that if Canada fails to support the intellectual property waiver, the decision could be challenged in domestic courts as a failure to implement Canada’s human rights obligations in good faith through international cooperation and that such a decision could be challenged as a violation of the right to life, security of person, and equality in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Furthermore, activists noted that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer have repeatedly emphasized that an effective global strategy is imperative to limiting the spread of COVID-19, preventing the emergence of more transmissible or deadly variants, and protecting public health globally.

Press release - Oxfam Canada

At the recent G20 Summit in October 2021, Canada pledged significant new support and investments to support the global COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery and to fight the climate crisis.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada will donate at least 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to COVAX by the end of 2022, including an immediate commitment to contribute up to 10 million doses of the Moderna vaccine.

Additionally, Trudeau announced an investment of up to CA$15 million (US$12 million) to COVAX Manufacturing Task Force partners in support of the establishment of the South Africa Technology Transfer Hub. This initiative will help to address barriers to equitable vaccine access by building a greater global capacity to manufacture vaccines. Canada’s current international contribution to the COVID-19 response is over CA$1.3 billion (US$1.1 billion), and this announcement provides greater details concerning the previously announced CA$350 million (US$283 million) contribution. The Prime Minister also confirmed Canada’s support for a G20 commitment on pandemic preparedness, including the establishment of a G20 Joint Finance-Health Task Force.

Furthermore, Trudeau reaffirmed Canada’s dedication to supporting COVID-19 global economic recovery. He announced that Canada will channel CA$3.7 billion (US$2.9 billion), or 20% of its newly allocated International Monetary Fund (IMF) Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), to support low-income countries. The Prime Minister announced that approximately CA$982 million (US$794 million) of the funding would be distributed to the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT).

Trudeau also emphasized the importance of G20 leaders doing more to address the climate crisis. As part of the G20 Summit, Canada and Germany published a delivery plan to develop a path to mobilizing CA$123.8 billion (US$100.0 billion) in annual climate financing to respond to the climate crisis, ahead of the COP26 conference.

Press release - Prime Minister of Canada

Press release - Prime Minister of Canada

Op-ed - Cooperation Canada

Canada has taken over 970,000 doses from COVAX, the World Health Organization's vaccine alliance, for its own use, while delivering only 3.2 million – or 8% – of the 40 million doses it promised.

The US has delivered the largest quantity of donated doses - nearly 177 million - and yet, this number is merely 16% of the 1.1 billion promised. Meanwhile, the EU and countries including Germany and the UK, have refused to support the proposal by over 100 nations to waive patents on vaccines and COVID-19 - related technologies.

Preceding the G20 summit in Rome this week, the People’s Vaccine alliance – which consists of 77 members including ActionAid, the African Alliance, Oxfam, and UNAIDS – is calling on rich countries to:

• Deliver on promises to donate COVID-19 vaccines to low-income countries;
• Immediately redistribute existing vaccines equitably across all nations; and,
• Suspend intellectual property rights for COVID vaccines, tests, and treatments by agreeing to the proposed waiver of the TRIPS Agreement at the World Trade Organization.

​​​​Op-ed - Oxfam Canada

On September 1, 2021, German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, and the Director of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, inaugurated a new WHO Global Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Berlin.

Germany contributed US$100 million in initial investment to the Hub, whose mission is to better detect and respond to pandemic and epidemic situations by providing better data, analytics, and decisions on global disease threats. The Hub is a collaboration of countries and partners from across the world and its work will focus on increasing the availability of key data, developing analytical tools and risk analysis, and supporting the work of public health experts and policy-makers worldwide. Dr. Tedros emphasized the Hub’s contribution to detecting and assessing risks of disease outbreaks in their earliest stages when the impacts on health and social disruptions can be contained effectively.

The Director of the new Hub is the Nigerian epidemiologist, Chikwe Ihekweazu, who currently leads Nigeria’s health authority.

Press release - WHO

News article - Tagesschau (in German)

During his visit to the World Health Organization's (WHO's) headquarters in Geneva on July 15, 2021, German health minister Jens Spahn committed to contributing €260 million (US$306 million) to the WHO. These funds are part of previously announced pledges worth €2.2 billion (US$2.6 billion) that Germany made to the Access to COVID-19 Tool Accelerator (ACT-A).

The €260 million (US$306 million) will contribute to the development, production, and distribution of COVID-19 test kits, treatments, and vaccines. Germany will also share 30 million vaccine doses with other countries, announced Spahn.

Spahn emphasized that only an international and cooperative approach will successfully end the pandemic. Still, he defended Germany’s rejection of vaccine patent waivers, proposed by India and South Africa to the World Trade Organization. Germany is one of the last key opponents to the waivers after the US and France announced their support for a patent waiver.

News article – Ärzteblatt (in German)

News article – Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German)