Equitable Access to COVID-19 Vaccination: Why Global Solidarity Still Matters

As the world continues to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic, one lesson stands out: prevention must take precedence over treatment. Immunization has long stood alongside clean water as one of the most effective public health measures ever developed. It prevents millions of deaths each year, reduces hospitalizations, and strengthens the social and economic fabric of communities. Yet when global crises strike, equitable access to vaccines remains elusive.

Today, that challenge is resurfacing, not as a historical lesson, but as an urgent call.

The Power of Vaccination Across the Life Course

Vaccines protect more than infants. They are essential tools of healthy aging for adults and older people, reducing medical visits, treatments, and pressure on health systems. Their long-term impact extends well beyond direct health benefits. Vaccination supports education, productivity, and economic stability.

However, even before COVID-19 vaccines were developed, the WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi warned that 80 million children under one year of age were at risk of preventable diseases due to disrupted routine immunization programs. In many low-resource settings, access barriers (costs, geography, and supply limitations) have long created gaps in protection.

COVID-19 Vaccines: A Scarce and Politicized Global Good

The development of COVID-19 vaccines showcased remarkable scientific collaboration. But it also exposed geopolitical competition. Wealthy nations secured early vaccine doses through bilateral agreements, leaving low-income countries behind. As the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) emphasized, the global race for procurement risked repeating a familiar pattern: the wealthiest nations benefit first, while the most vulnerable wait.

This dynamic undermines not only equity but global health security itself. Isolated national strategies cannot contain a virus that crosses borders.

Why Equitable COVID-19 Vaccination Is the Fastest Path Out of a Pandemic

Effective pandemic recovery hinges on fair vaccine distribution. Without coordinated global coverage, outbreaks persist, variants emerge, and the pandemic’s health, economic, and social impacts deepen.

International collaboration must prioritize:

Strengthening Global Support Mechanisms

Initiatives such as COVAX have sought to accelerate equitable access, yet global experience shows that low-income countries are often crowded out when demand surpasses supply. A dedicated COVID-19 vaccination fund to support resource-constrained nations would be a critical step toward preventing this.

Addressing Long-Standing Access Barriers

High program costs, limited health infrastructure, and logistical challenges all hinder equitable coverage. These issues require both immediate response and long-term investment in national health systems.

Recognizing Vaccination as a Global Public Good

Vaccines protect communities, economies, and global stability. As outlined in the Global Charter for the Public’s Health, prevention, including equitable immunization, is foundational to national prosperity and global resilience.

A Call to Action from the Global Public Health Community

Public health associations worldwide, including the Norwegian Public Health Association, have echoed WFPHA’s call for urgent, ethically grounded global policy action. They stress that no nation can protect itself alone. Even from a standpoint of national self-interest, vaccines must reach vulnerable populations in every region if the pandemic is to be controlled.

Norway’s long-standing leadership in global vaccination efforts serves as an example of the type of commitment required. Still, all nations must make it clear that equitable allocation is not an optional act of goodwill; it is a public health necessity.

Moving Forward With Purpose and Solidarity

COVID-19 has reshaped global health, economies, and societies. The choices made now will determine how the world recovers and how prepared we are for future threats. Equitable access to vaccination is more than a policy preference; it is a moral responsibility and a practical strategy for global stability.

Ensuring that every nation, regardless of wealth, can protect its population through vaccination is essential to ending the pandemic and strengthening universal health systems. The world has the tools, expertise, and capacity to act. What remains is the collective will to place equity at the center of global health.

Why Public Health Organizations Must Reject All Collaborations with the Tobacco Industry

The global tobacco epidemic continues to be one of the most urgent and preventable public health threats of our time. With more than 8 million deaths each year, tobacco use disproportionately harms low- and middle-income countries, regions aggressively targeted by the tobacco industry marketing. Despite decades of evidence-based strategies proven to reduce smoking rates, progress is consistently undermined by the influence, funding, and strategic interference of the tobacco industry.

This article explores why public health organizations must categorically reject collaboration with the tobacco industry, the global framework guiding this stance, and how the public health community can strengthen its collective commitment to a tobacco-free world.

The Global Burden of Tobacco and the Need for Strong Public Health Action

Tobacco remains one of the world’s leading causes of preventable disease and death. Beyond the 8 million lives lost annually, millions more suffer from chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory illnesses attributed to tobacco use.

Although effective interventions exist (including taxation, restrictions on marketing, and cessation support), their success depends on consistent and uncompromised implementation. Tobacco companies continue to obstruct these efforts by promoting misleading narratives, funding front groups, and attempting to partner with public health entities to improve their public image.

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: A Global Mandate

A significant turning point in global tobacco control came in 2003 with the adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). As the first international treaty designed to combat the tobacco epidemic, it establishes legally binding obligations for countries that ratify it.

Key FCTC principles relevant to public health organizations

• No partnerships or collaborations with the tobacco industry

• No engagement with organizations funded by the tobacco industry

• Implementation of proven interventions such as:

  • Tobacco taxation

  • Graphic warning labels

  • Comprehensive advertising bans

These policies have repeatedly demonstrated their effectiveness in reducing demand, preventing initiation, especially among youth, and supporting cessation.

The WHO also explicitly urges all public health organizations to avoid any action that could create the impression of partnership with the tobacco industry.

Why Collaboration with the Tobacco Industry Undermines Public Health

The tobacco industry has a long history of using sponsorships, grants, and corporate social responsibility initiatives to gain credibility and influence. Such collaborations:

• Provide the industry with a platform to shape and weaken public policy

• Create conflicts of interest that compromise public health objectives

• Mislead the public into believing tobacco companies are acting in good faith

• Undermine global efforts toward a tobacco-free future

Allowing these partnerships, even indirectly, opens the door to manipulation and obstructs evidence-based public health initiatives.

WFPHA’s Position: A Clear Call for Independence from Tobacco Influence

The World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA), together with the Global Coalition for Circulatory Health and the World Heart Federation, has long condemned the tobacco industry’s attempts to subvert tobacco control policies.

The WFPHA applauds the majority of public health organizations worldwide that already reject any form of collaboration with the tobacco industry. However, the organization emphasizes that more must be done.

WFPHA urges all public health associations to:

• Develop and adopt strong internal policies preventing collaboration with the tobacco industry

• Initiate open, transparent discussions within their organizations about tobacco influence

• Raise awareness among members, partners, and communities

• Advocate consistently for a tobacco-free world

• Recognize the disproportionate harm tobacco causes to vulnerable populations

Public health organizations have a responsibility not only to protect their independence but also to expose and challenge the tobacco industry’s pervasive influence on global health.

Moving Forward: Strengthening the Path Toward a Tobacco-Free World

Ending the tobacco epidemic requires unwavering commitment. Public health groups must remain vigilant against tactics designed to weaken tobacco control policies, distract from harmful products, or position the industry as a stakeholder in health solutions.

By rejecting all collaborations with the tobacco industry, public health organizations preserve the integrity of their work and strengthen global efforts to protect the world’s most vulnerable communities.

A healthier, tobacco-free future is within reach, but only if the public health community continues to stand united, independent, and uncompromised.

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons: A Historic Step for Global Health, Humanitarian Protection, and Planetary Security

As the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) officially enters into force, international health and humanitarian organizations mark this moment as a historic victory for nuclear disarmament, humanitarian protection, and planetary health. This milestone represents a decisive move toward preventing the catastrophic health and environmental consequences caused by nuclear weapons.

Organizations including International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), International Council of Nurses (ICN), International Federation of Medical Student Associations (IFMSA), and World Medical Association (WMA),  proudly welcome the world’s first comprehensive, legally binding international prohibition of nuclear weapons.

A Strong Treaty Built on Evidence, Expertise, and Humanitarian Imperatives

Our organizations have long contributed scientific evidence, health expertise, and field-based humanitarian experience to expose the devastating consequences of nuclear weapons. The reality is apparent:

• Any nuclear weapons detonation would cause unspeakable human suffering, radiation exposure, and long-term environmental destruction.

• No nation or health system has the capacity to provide adequate medical or humanitarian response.

• Prevention is the only possible cure.

With the TPNW now part of international law, all ratifying states are legally bound by its provisions, establishing an essential new global standard against the world’s most destructive weapons.

Proven Success: How Prohibition Treaties Reduce Weapons and Save Lives

History shows that prohibition works. Treaties banning biological weapons, chemical weapons, antipersonnel landmines, and cluster munitions have all reduced use, stigmatized possession, and influenced even states that have not yet joined.

The TPNW is already shaping global behavior. Financial institutions worldwide, including banks, pension funds, and insurance companies, are increasingly divesting from nuclear weapons manufacturers, signaling a decisive shift toward ethical and sustainable investment.

Nuclear Weapons: The Greatest Immediate Threat to Human Health

The World Health Organization identified nuclear weapons as “the greatest immediate threat to the health and welfare of humankind” as early as 1983. Experts today warn that the risk of nuclear war is as high (or even higher) than during the Cold War.

Recent trends are deeply alarming:

• Critical arms-control treaties have been dismantled.

• Nuclear-armed states are investing heavily in new, more sophisticated weapons.

• Cyber vulnerabilities threaten nuclear command-and-control systems.

• Rising geopolitical tensions and climate-driven instability increase the risk of escalation.

Climate scientists warn that even a limited nuclear war, using less than 2% of the global arsenal, would inject massive amounts of smoke into the atmosphere, disrupt global climate patterns, and cause a global nuclear famine threatening billions of lives.

The TPNW: A Necessary Pathway to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons offers a pragmatic and inclusive framework for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons, fulfilling the legal obligations of all states, whether nuclear-armed or not.

Supporting Survivors and Restoring Contaminated Environments

For the first time, an international agreement requires states to:

• Assist victims of nuclear weapons use and testing

• Remediate contaminated environments

• Advance long-overdue humanitarian and environmental recovery

Even states not yet prepared to join the Treaty are encouraged to contribute to these critical efforts.

Why Global Cooperation Is Urgent Now

The COVID-19 pandemic and the accelerating climate crisis have underscored the necessity of rapid, evidence-driven international collaboration. Nuclear weapons are entirely human-made; preventing their use is within humanity’s control.

Ending nuclear weapons before they end humanity is a public health, humanitarian, and planetary imperative.

A Call to Action

The TPNW represents an extraordinary opportunity to build a safer, healthier, and more sustainable future. We urge all nations to:

• Sign the Treaty

• Ratify the Treaty

• Fully implement its provisions

Eliminating nuclear weapons is essential to safeguarding global health, protecting future generations, and preserving life on Earth.

About Our Organizations

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

A neutral, impartial, and independent humanitarian organization dedicated to protecting the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and promoting international humanitarian law.

International Council of Nurses (ICN)

A federation of more than 130 national nurses’ associations representing over 20 million nurses worldwide.

International Federation of Medical Student Associations (IFMSA)

One of the world’s largest student-run organizations, representing 1.3 million medical students across 134 countries, is committed to global health leadership.

International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW)

A federation of medical organizations in 63 countries dedicated to the eradication of nuclear weapons; recipient of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize.

World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA)

The global voice for public health, representing 130 national and regional associations and 5 million public health professionals.

World Medical Association (WMA)

An international organization representing physicians through 115 national associations and thousands of individual members worldwide.

Advancing COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Through Global Collaboration and Public Health Leadership

Around the world, governments and health systems continue to grapple with the far-reaching consequences of COVID-19. The virus does not respect borders; instead, it has exacerbated long-standing inequities rooted in social, economic, and political disparities. These inequities shape who gets sick, who gets care, and who gains access to life-saving tools such as vaccines.

Immunization remains one of the most effective public health measures, second only to clean water. Each year, vaccines prevent an estimated 2.5 million deaths and significantly reduce disease-related treatment costs. The COVID-19 crisis has underscored a critical lesson: the global balance must shift from treating disease to preventing it. Lifelong immunization is essential not only for individual health but also for sustainable health systems and community resilience.

Despite significant scientific progress and rapid vaccine development, access remains profoundly unequal. The World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) and its Global Immunization Taskforce are increasingly concerned that COVID-19 vaccine distribution may not be implemented equitably, placing vulnerable populations in low-income settings at greatest risk.

Why COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Matters Now More Than Ever

Prevention and Sustainability

Immunization saves lives, improves quality of life, and strengthens the foundation of sustainable healthcare systems. It also contributes to social and economic development, ensuring that communities can thrive long after a crisis ends.

However, disruptions to routine immunization programs during the pandemic have put 80 million children under one year old at risk of preventable diseases. As COVID-19 vaccinations rolled out globally, demand quickly outpaced supply, creating conditions in which wealthier nations could secure and pay for limited vaccine doses at the expense of communities most in need.

Lessons from Past Immunization Efforts

History shows that even when safe and effective vaccines exist, vulnerable groups in low-income regions may not gain access for years (or ever). Barriers include high program costs, weak health systems, limited geographic access to vaccination centres, and competition that constrains supply.

Strengthening immunization information systems is also essential. Secure, audited, and up-to-date data systems promote transparency, informed decision-making, and equitable allocation, ensuring no one is left behind.

A Growing Global Movement for Coordinated Action

On February 11, 2021, the WFPHA convened leaders from international NGOs for a historic meeting to collaborate on equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. This coalition aims to build long-term equity in global public health by advocating for social protection, sustainable development, and more substantial support for vulnerable communities.

Leaders also emphasized the importance of environmentally responsible vaccine development and distribution. Protecting planetary health must go hand in hand with protecting human health to avoid exacerbating climate impacts that deepen inequities.

The coalition is committed to sharing evidence-based practices, compiling resources, engaging diverse communities, and amplifying the voices of those disproportionately affected, including chronically ill patients, marginalized populations, and individuals lacking access to quality healthcare.

Key Priorities for Achieving COVID-19 Vaccine Equity

The WFPHA Global Immunization Taskforce, alongside coalition partners, calls on the World Health Assembly, the G20, every national government, and all organizations working in public health and social development to take urgent, coordinated action.

Their recommendations include:

Support Research, Development, and Global Preparedness

• Strengthen international collaboration to advance research and development of effective vaccines across multiple centers.

• Continue supporting the World Health Organization’s leadership in coordinating the global COVID-19 response.

Ensure Equitable Access to Vaccines

• Establish a global COVID-19 vaccination fund to assist resource-constrained countries.

• Support the COVAX initiative to ensure equitable vaccine distribution worldwide, with particular attention to vulnerable populations.

Strengthen Health and Social Protection Systems

• Invest in national health systems with a focus on sustainable immunization programs.

• Expand and support the healthcare, public health, and social protection workforce.

• Address social, economic, and health system barriers that hinder vaccine uptake and distribution.

Promote Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility

• Guarantee environmentally and economically sustainable vaccine production and distribution.

• Encourage climate-conscious approaches that do not compound existing inequities.

Engage Communities, Youth, and Civil Society

• Involve youth, young professionals, patient organizations, community groups, and health professionals in decision-making and implementation.

• Enhance risk communication, combat misinformation, and address vaccine hesitancy across diverse communities.

Moving Forward Together

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how tightly interconnected the world is and how inequities in one region reverberate globally. Building a fairer and more resilient future requires continued collaboration, shared responsibility, and unwavering commitment to vaccine equity.

This growing coalition of global health leaders has immense potential to strengthen our collective response to inequity during the pandemic and throughout the years of recovery ahead. By working together to prioritize equitable access, invest in sustainable systems, and ensure no one is left behind, we can chart a path toward a healthier, more just world for all.

The Value-Based Vaccination Approach: Strengthening Sustainable Healthcare Systems

Healthcare systems worldwide are under pressure to optimize resources while still delivering high-quality, patient-centred care. Achieving long-term sustainability requires a shift toward frameworks that support financial efficiency and improved health outcomes. Value-based vaccination, a core application of value-based healthcare, provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating the broader impact of vaccines across personal, societal, allocative, and technical dimensions.

First introduced in 2010, value-based healthcare initially centered on efficiency and on health gains relative to resources invested.

Today, the concept is broader and built on four interconnected pillars essential for solidarity-based healthcare systems:

• Personal value: Ensuring vaccination aligns with individual goals and patient needs.

• Societal value: The contribution of vaccination to community wellbeing, social participation, and collective protection.

• Allocative value: Equitable distribution of vaccination resources across populations.

• Technical value: The efficiency and effectiveness of vaccination strategies.

When applied to vaccination, these four pillars highlight benefits that go far beyond disease prevention. Vaccination generates productivity gains, reduces care needs, offers community protection (including herd immunity), and strengthens social cohesion. These broad benefits contribute directly to the Sustainable Development Goals by fostering healthier, more economically stable societies.

Increased investment in vaccination programs, coupled with greater recognition of the full value of vaccines, will save lives, reduce long-term costs, and improve health outcomes across the life course. Vaccination should therefore be viewed not only as disease prevention, but as a high-value public health investment.

This report synthesizes evidence on the personal, societal, allocative, and technical pillars of value-based vaccination. It provides recommendations for advancing meaningful policy actions that reflect the full value of vaccines.

Issue

Healthcare systems must optimize resources while maintaining patient-centered care. Sustainability efforts must evaluate financial realities and quality improvements. Value-based vaccination supports this balance by ensuring decisions reflect outcomes that matter to individuals, communities, and health systems as a whole.

Approach

A systematic review of English-language literature published between December 24, 2010, and May 27, 2020, was conducted across three central scientific archives. Studies were included if they addressed the value of vaccination against vaccine-preventable diseases and were conducted in advanced economies, as defined by the International Monetary Fund.

A detailed analysis was conducted of studies in which value was a key focus. A steering committee of international vaccination experts contributed additional insights and helped develop recommendations.

Results

The review identified 107 studies, with the following trends:

• 72.9% were primary research studies.

• Approximately half directly addressed the value.

• 83.3% evaluated only one value pillar.

• Two-thirds focused on technical value.

• Only 11.1% addressed allocative value, and 16.7% addressed societal value.

Key findings include:

• Technical value is typically evaluated through cost analyses (cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, cost-benefit, cost-of-illness, and budget impact). Still, these traditional economic models often fail to capture the broader societal benefits of vaccination.

• Personal value is most often assessed through attitudes, preferences, and perceptions—essential factors for improving vaccine uptake.

• Societal value encompasses indirect protection (herd immunity), reduced antimicrobial resistance, social responsibility, cohesion, and overall population well-being, all of which require further evidence.

• Allocative value is often limited to affordability but should also encompass equity, accessibility, and appropriate resource allocation.

Recommendations

The steering committee and evidence synthesis generated the following recommendations to support value-based decision-making for vaccines.

Decision-Making Process

• Develop capacity-building initiatives for researchers and policymakers to strengthen the integration of value-based vaccination in decision-making.

• Embed all four pillars of value into national, regional, and supranational vaccine policy frameworks.

• Improve governance by increasing collaboration between authorities, health professionals, scientists, citizens, and industry.

• Promote shared decision-making across all stakeholders involved in vaccination programmes.

Research

• Build consensus on the dimensions of the four value pillars as they apply specifically to vaccination.

• Identify barriers to assessing the full value of vaccines.

• Expand and translate research on the broad societal impact of vaccination.

• Strengthen evidence generation to support evidence-based vaccine policy and post-implementation evaluation.

• Develop tools and models that enable HTA and related frameworks to more accurately assess the full value of vaccination.

• Foster innovative public–private partnerships that support sustainable vaccine development.

Public Engagement

• Identify key levers that can increase public understanding of the full value of vaccination.

• Improve vaccination literacy among healthcare professionals and the general population.

• Develop and test strategies that actively engage communities in vaccination efforts.

Moving Forward to Strengthen Value-Based Vaccination

Integrating the full spectrum of value (personal, societal, allocative, and technical) is essential for strengthening sustainable healthcare systems and unlocking the broad benefits of vaccination. By enhancing evidence generation, improving decision-making frameworks, and elevating public engagement, value-based vaccination can support healthier, more resilient societies for generations to come.

Seeking an Intern for the WFPHA

The World Federation of Public Health Associations is currently looking for 1 Intern for the Oral Health Working Group.

WFPHA offers a unique internship environment for students in international health and development. Interns are given substantial responsibility for activities such as researching and writing articles for the newsletter, establishing contact with health and development NGOs worldwide, planning international conferences, and fundraising. Each internship is structured to suit the intern’s needs and interests, as well as the requirements of WFPHA.

During the internship, interns will further develop their writing and research skills and become more familiar with the key issues and actors in international health and development. They will have extensive networking opportunities as WFPHA is an international NGO in official relations with the WHO, and has extensive contacts with other organizations worldwide.

Key areas:

• Research
• Global Oral Health Integration
• Integration of Oral Health into Primary Care
• Oral Health and NCDs
• Digital Health

Qualification and Experience

• Student or graduate degree in the area of International Relations, Health-related Faculties, or are enrolled in a degree program.
• Knowledge of MS Office, Adobe
• English: a must
• Good writing skills
• Eager to work within a multicultural and international environment
• A good team player with a “can-do” attitude
• Good at multitasking and working with strict deadlines

Compensation

The internship is unpaid. Remote working.

Period

Starts in January 2026 for a minimum of 3 months (full-time) or 6 months (part-time). The internship may be part-time or full-time.

How to Apply

If you are interested in applying for the internship, please send your CV and motivation letter to Maria Mata at maria.mata@wfpha.org by December 1st. Please include in the Subject line: Internship application – Oral Health