When mpox cases started rising sharply in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) earlier this year, local, regional, and global public health officials quickly moved to respond. A new strain was spreading rapidly, and efforts were made to understand transmission, improve diagnostics, and expand access to treatments.
However, as was the case during the COVID-19 pandemic, these challenges were not easily overcome. Africa, in particular, has long relied on imports for medical products, which are often expensive, slow to arrive, and difficult to access.
Infectious disease outbreaks—and the disruptions they cause—rarely stay confined within national borders. What began as a localized health issue soon became a global concern. With the rapidly changing climate, experts predict that these kinds of outbreaks will occur more frequently. The G20, as a forum of leading economies, plays a pivotal role in addressing global health challenges, given its substantial share of the world’s economic output, exports, and population. Its convening power is essential in driving coordinated responses to complex global health issues.
Building local and regional manufacturing capacities
Addressing these interconnected challenges requires strengthening local and regional capacities to respond to future health threats. PATH has been working in this space for many years.
For example, in collaboration, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, and PATH assessed both existing and upcoming vaccine manufacturing capacities across Africa to provide insights on the steps required to build a strong and sustainable vaccine manufacturing ecosystem. Similar work has been conducted in Latin America, a region making important strides toward self-sufficiency in diagnostics and vaccine manufacturing.
It’s encouraging to see G20 countries supporting this agenda. The Global Coalition for Local and Regional Production Innovation and Equitable Access, backed by the G20, is advancing efforts to reduce reliance on global supply chains. The coalition is poised to play a crucial role in addressing these challenges. By fostering technology transfer agreements, building regional production hubs, and advocating for policy and regulatory alignment, the coalition can help low- and middle-income countries establish efficient vaccine production systems that will reduce dependency on external suppliers and ensure that vaccines are produced closer to where they are needed.
Yesterday, PATH and Bio-Manguinhos, a key partner in Brazil, announced a new collaboration aimed at strengthening innovation, production, and access to diagnostics, vaccines, and other health technologies in Brazil and Latin America through expanded local development of technologies that meet the region’s needs in pursuit of health equity.
This shift toward local and regional manufacturing not only strengthens preparedness but also helps ensure more equitable access to critical health tools. By reducing dependence on centralized, global supply chains, countries can respond faster to public health emergencies and tailor production to their specific needs, reinforcing local resilience while contributing to global health security.
“This shift toward local and regional manufacturing not only strengthens preparedness but also helps ensure more equitable access to critical health tools”— Kammerle Schneider, Chief Global Health Programs Officer
Strengthening digital health systems
Beyond local manufacturing, resilient primary health care systems are the backbone of pandemic response, and digital health is a key enabler of those systems. In the DRC, PATH's work through the USAID-funded Digital Square initiative has strengthened digital health systems, improving case detection and speeding up outbreak responses for diseases like Ebola and mpox. With support from the Gates Foundation, PATH, in partnership with Bluesquare and the Ministry of Health, has developed an integrated disease surveillance dashboard to guide responses to ongoing infectious threats like malaria and other public health emergencies.
However, these systems remain underfunded, and sustained investments are needed to ensure they can meet future demands. That's why the G20's emphasis on operationalizing the Global Initiative on Digital Health, investing in digital public infrastructure, and improving tracking of these investments in digital transformation is so important.
As climate change intensifies health risks, including the spread of infectious diseases and the disruption of health services due to extreme weather, integrated digital systems are becoming essential for predicting and managing these challenges. This makes integrated approaches like One Health—linking human, animal, and environmental health—more important than ever.
A robust surveillance system and platforms that integrate environmental, weather, and epidemiological data are critical for providing decision-makers with real-time insights, enabling targeted interventions and efficient resource allocation. The World Health Organization’s leadership is vital in driving the alignment of these systems to address overlapping health and climate threats and strengthen preparedness and resilience for future crises. As we look ahead to COP29, the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference, this coordination will be key to building global health resilience.
Moving forward, it’s clear that interconnected solutions—strengthening regional manufacturing, investing in digital health systems, and integrating climate data—are vital for building resilient health systems capable of handling the evolving global health landscape.
The G20’s recognition of these priorities is an important step forward. As South Africa prepares to take on the G20 presidency, we hope to see continued momentum in these critical areas. The G20 has the unique ability to galvanize international support and secure the investments needed to build a more equitable and sustainable global health system or architecture.
