UNICEF’s ACT-A Supplies Financing Facility
An opportunity to support global equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines.
UNICEF invites contributions to support its ACT-A Supplies Financing Facility (“ACT-A SFF”), a pooled fund that will enable us to mount the largest health and logistics operation ever seen. ACT-A (Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator) is a global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.
The Facility will focus exclusively on securing low- and middle-income countries’ access to three categories of key COVID-19 health supplies: immunization-related supplies, COVID-19 diagnostics, and COVID-19 therapeutics. Through the ACT-A SFF, UNICEF aims to raise US$ 2.465 billion in 2022 to reach the target outcomes listed below, as part of UNICEF’s total ACT-A needs of US$ 4.8 billion.
Taking action today with UNICEF means joining and supporting the leading humanitarian effort to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and putting children and their families first by supporting the strengthening of primary health systems the world over.
ACT-A Supplies Financing Facility 2022 targets:
Immunization
US$ 625 million
Laboratory and diagnostics
US$ 1 billion
Therapeutics
US$ 840 million
Join us – let’s make history happen today.
The Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator - Supplies Financing Facility (ACT-A SFF)
An opportunity to join UNICEF in the largest health and logistics operation the world has ever seen.
The Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) is a global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. Since April 2020, the ACT-A partnership has supported the fastest, most coordinated and successful global effort in history to develop tools to fight a disease. UNICEF is a key cross-cutting partner and leading procurer in all three of the official ACT-A commodity pillars (vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics) and supports the end-to-end supply chain for these commodities.
UNICEF has been appointed as the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX) Procurement Coordinator and one of its procurement agents. In this role, UNICEF leads the end-to-end supply chain engagement spanning procurement, international freight, logistics, and supports country readiness as well as in-country delivery. UNICEF is also leading efforts to assess and establish country and programmatic readiness for the future receipt and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines.
UNICEF is the largest vaccine procurer in the world and annually manages the procurement and delivery of approximately 2.5 billion doses of various routine immunizations. And, as of June 2022, UNICEF has delivered over 1.4 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 112 countries. UNICEF’s unparalleled expertise includes the coordination of thousands of shipments with various cold chain requirements, making UNICEF the leader in supply chain management of biological and temperature-controlled products. This know-how is especially needed during this historic undertaking.
UNICEF is also one of the leading agencies in the procurement of in vitro diagnostics. It has procured over 20 million COVID-19 diagnostic tests from suppliers for low- and middle-income countries (LICs and MICs) as of January 2022, and has delivered 18 million tests to 87 countries. Similar to vaccines, diagnostics require strong expertise in the supply chain management of temperature-controlled products. UNICEF will continue to collaborate with countries, suppliers, donors, and development partners to relieve the global shortage of critical COVID-19 diagnostics, and to accelerate the market entry of new quality-assured tests suitable for decentralized settings.
UNICEF is a major procurer of essential medicines and other therapeutic treatments for health programmes and emergency response. It has expertise in the supply and supply chain management of biotherapeutics and medicines, as well as in engaging with LICs and MICs (including for supplies requiring temperature control within a secure cold chain, and the procurement of equipment and supplies for the delivery and monitoring of oxygen therapy). As part of the COVID-19 response, UNICEF has already secured access to millions of treatment courses of Dexamethasone and other novel COVID-19 therapeutics, and has expanded oxygen source options for countries to include oxygen PSA plants which are suitable for rapid deployment. UNICEF is engaged with industry, partners, donors, and development partners to support early and equitable access to new and repurposed therapeutics used for COVID-19 treatment.
An undertaking of this magnitude requires immediate support, which is why UNICEF has established the ACT-A Supplies Financing Facility (ACT-A SFF).
ACT-A SFF
As part of its contribution to the work of the ACT-A, UNICEF has established contracts with manufacturers of ACT-A supplies and will continue to establish contracts for novel and emerging COVID-19 supplies as they become available. UNICEF has launched the ACT-A SFF to receive funds dedicated to support LICs and MICs to access, purchase, and receive the delivery of key COVID-19 supplies via UNICEF Procurement Services. Additionally, UNICEF will use the funds to reserve supply capacity in bulk to assure that countries have equitable access to supplies for their populations, as country plans are implemented, and as demand is mobilized and materializes.
The ACT-A SFF:
- Is a dedicated, pooled funding structure that has been specifically designed to address the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic response supply requirements;
- Supports the equitable supply and delivery of COVID-19 supplies to LICs and MICs;
- Supports the procurement of immunization-related supplies not covered by the COVAX Facility, such as country cost-sharing and support for self-financing participants’ vaccine and delivery costs, syringes, cold chain, and PPE for frontline workers;
- Supports the procurement of existing and novel therapeutics and diagnostics;
- Focuses on supply and supply-related expenses (freight, in-country logistics, insurance, etc).
Financing contributions to the ACT-A SFF can be directed toward the following three specific, dedicated envelopes: Immunization (including syringes and safe injection equipment, PPE, freight and in-country logistics), Laboratory and Diagnostics, and Therapeutics (including antivirals or oxygen therapy supplies).
ACT-A SFF supplies categories and 2022 targets
Immunization
Vaccines and other immunization
supplies
2022 target: US$ 625 million
Outcome:
- Vaccine costs for requested doses, including for countries who are self- financing or cost sharing.
- Procurement of 1.5 billion syringes, plus other safe injection equipment and accompanying PPE for frontline workers.
- Freight and in-country delivery costs for receiving countries.
Laboratory and diagnostics
Rapid diagnostic tests (“RDTs”)
and other diagnostics
2022 target: US$ 1 billion
Outcome:
- Procurement of up to 300 million diagnostic tests
- Freight costs for shipment to countries
Therapeutics
Monoclonal antibodies (“mAbs”) and other therapeutics
2022 target: US$ 840 million
Outcome:
- Procurement for 15-45 million courses of recommended COVID-19 therapeutics.
- Procurement of life-saving oxygen therapy supplies.
- Freight and in-country delivery costs for receiving countries.
Contributions to UNICEF ACT-A SFF will directly assist efforts to secure equitable access to the necessary COVID-19 supplies and health products, bringing the world closer to the global (across all partners) ACT-A goals of providing low- and middle-income countries with: 70 per cent vaccination coverage; 120 million COVID-19 treatment courses; protection for 2.7 million health workers; and 700 million COVID-19 tests. The current needs in the ACT-A are substantial, and UNICEF stands ready to support our partners in this global effort. A standard contribution agreement template has been developed for this financing facility; please use the "Contact Us" button below to find out more.