by Gustavo Furtado (Fiocruz News Agency). Published on 30/01/2026
The Advisory Committee of the Global Coalition for Local and Regional Production, Innovation and Equitable Access met for the first time, virtually, this Friday (30/1). The meeting, organized by Fiocruz—the Executive Secretariat of the Global Coalition—was opened by the Head of the Special Advisory Office for International Affairs of the Ministry of Health (Aisa), Marise Ribeiro Nogueira. The purpose of this first informational session was to convene and introduce the Advisory Committee, including its roles, members, and expectations regarding the participation of the institutions that make up the Committee, which is responsible for providing scientific, technical, and policy guidance to the Global Coalition.
Fiocruz President Mario Moreira stated: “The Coalition emerges at a time when the world increasingly recognizes that fragmented supply chains and concentrated production hubs are insufficient to meet global public health needs. Strengthening local and regional scientific, industrial, regulatory, and institutional ecosystems is essential to ensure sustainable access to health technologies and to promote universal health coverage and access. Initiatives to combat neglected diseases and support people living in vulnerable situations require integrated and collaborative strategies among countries and international partners.” He added: “We see the Coalition not only as an opportunity for greater unity, accountability, and coordination among the many existing strategies, platforms, and initiatives across regions. That is why we carefully selected the organizations we believe can play an important role on our Advisory Committee.”
Next, Fiocruz Vice President for Health Production and Innovation, Priscila Ferraz, presented the meeting agenda and said: “It is a great honor for us to take part in this initiative, and we look forward to a very productive journey with partners who share the commitment to promoting a new model of distributed innovation, production, and access to essential health technologies.”
In a video recorded specifically for the meeting, Minister of Health Alexandre Padilha—Chair of the initiative’s Steering Committee—welcomed the members of the Advisory Committee and recalled the reasons for its creation: “During Brazil’s G20 presidency in 2024, under the leadership of President Lula da Silva, the Health Working Group worked intensively to shape the concept of this initiative, which was endorsed both by the Health Ministers’ Declaration and the Leaders’ Declaration. The Coalition aims to foster voluntary cooperation to promote local and regional production and access to innovations in vaccines, therapies, diagnostics, and other health technologies, with strong emphasis on neglected diseases and people in vulnerable situations.”
The Advisory Committee will serve as an advisory body. It will support the selection, monitoring, and evaluation of initiatives, provide technical input to projects and their analyses, and submit recommendations to the Steering Committee. The meeting was facilitated by Luana Bermudez from the Executive Secretariat team, and the presentation on Committee operations, next steps, and subsequent discussions was led by Fiocruz Deputy Vice President for Health Production and Innovation, Marco Nascimento. Advisory Committee representatives will serve terms of up to three years, with a maximum of three consecutive terms. Its chair will be chosen from among its members for a renewable two-year term and approved by the Steering Committee for each mandate. The Advisory Committee will meet regularly, at least four times per year, with at least one in-person meeting.
In addition to teams from the Ministry of Health and Fiocruz, representatives from WHO, UNICEF, UNAIDS, Unitaid, Africa CDC, CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations), DCVMN (Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network International), DNDi (Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative), FIND, GAVI the Vaccine Alliance, IFPMA (International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations), IVI (International Vaccine Institute), OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), Pasteur Network, RVMC (Regionalized Vaccine Manufacturing Collaborative), The Global Fund, and Wellcome Trust attended this first meeting.
