Mission Report: Virtual Roundtable Series: Sharing Solutions and Lessons for Equitable Covid-19 Vaccination

Acknowledgements

This report summarises the proceedings of the Virtual Roundtable series organised by the Access and Delivery Partnership (ADP), a project led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and supported by the Government of Japan, and the Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program (HITAP), Ministry of Public Health, Thailand. It aims to inform policy on COVID-19 through the use of evidence and knowledge sharing. This report has been prepared by (in alphabetical order): Ms. Aparna Ananthakrishnan, Ms. Chayapat Rachatan and Ms. Saudamini Dabak. We thank Ms. Cecilia Oh, Mr. Leslie Ong and Mr. Ian Mungall who were part of the team that conducted the Roundtables as well as Mr. Prudchadee Boonnak for his support during the Roundtables We are grateful to Dr. Yot Teerawattananon and Assoc. Prof. Wanrudee Isaranuwatchai for their inputs. We thank the chairs, moderators, and speakers at the two roundtables and all attendees for their active participation.

The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding or participating agencies.

Introduction

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has shaped the economic and social lives of people around the world since 2020 and caused widespread morbidity and mortality. Vaccines are one of the important solutions to this scourge and several global efforts to promote safe and effective COVID-19 vaccinations have been implemented. However, inequitable access to COVID-19 vaccines remains a challenge in many low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Information on determinants and frameworks to support effective and equitable COVID-19 vaccination at the national level can be instrumental in the scale-up of national vaccination programmes, in readiness for when greater supplies of vaccines will be available.

Objectives

A virtual roundtable series was convened by the Access and Delivery Partnership (ADP), led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program (HITAP), Ministry of Public Health, Thailand. The roundtables aimed to foster exchanges between policy makers and technical experts on the enablers or success factors of effective and equitable COVID-19 vaccination programmes at the national level. Sharing country experiences can provide valuable lessons for overcoming bottlenecks and complications, and in turn promote a better understanding of the common elements of successful deployment and continued uptake of COVID-19 vaccines.