World Bank Group aims to mobilize $654 million for Southeast Asia vaccine manufacturing and expands Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Knowledge Hub to seven more countries
BANGKOK, October 16, 2026 – The World Bank Group (WBG) today announced that it is mobilizing additional resources to strengthen access to essential vaccines and to advance health financing reforms to reach 1.5 billion people with quality, affordable health services by 2030.
In Southeast Asia, the WBG is partnering with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), AVPN, and others to mobilize $654 million in public and private financing to enhance vaccine security in Southeast Asian countries.
This partnership, which is aligned with the objectives of the ASEAN Vaccine Security and Self-Reliance (AVSSR) Initiative, led by the National Vaccine Institute (NVI) of Thailand, and is supported by the Regionalized Vaccine Manufacturing Collaborative (RVMC) and partners, aims to strengthen the regional vaccine ecosystem, including research and development, manufacturing, and supply chains, and improve access to vaccines for routine immunization and future outbreaks. The package of loans and grants includes at least $174 million in public financing and up to $460 million in private capital mobilization for regional vaccine manufacturing. CEPI will provide catalytic funding of up to $20 million and technical expertise to strengthen outbreak vaccine preparedness. AVPN will mobilize additional public and philanthropic capital in support of the initiative. Recognizing the importance of preparedness capacities in strengthening health security across the region, the partnership is exploring collaboration with the Pandemic Fund, focusing on surveillance, laboratory networks, the public health workforce, and more.
The WBG is drawing on its full range of financing instruments, including sovereign financing, IFC investments, and MIGA guarantees, alongside partner funding and technical assistance. By combining public and private capital and reducing investment risks, the WBG aims to mobilize financing for regional vaccine manufacturing and strengthen the systems needed to support it.
Southeast Asia currently imports the majority of the vaccines it procures, leaving countries vulnerable to global supply disruptions. Expanding regional manufacturing can help ensure more reliable access to essential vaccines, enhance pandemic preparedness, reduce costs over time, and create skilled jobs in the region. The initiative will also support regional cooperation on procurement, regulatory standards, and workforce development to create the scale and predictable demand needed to attract sustainable private investment.
Alongside efforts to strengthen access to vaccines and medicines, the WBG is helping countries advance reforms to make health financing more sustainable. Seven additional countries — Bangladesh, Côte d’Ivoire, Lao PDR, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Tanzania — will join the second cohort of the UHC Knowledge Hub in Tokyo, established through a partnership with the Government of Japan and the World Health Organization.
The Hub brings together health and finance policymakers to turn evidence and shared experience into practical reforms. Designed by policymakers for policymakers, it offers technical support, tools, and peer learning. It helps governments advance regulatory and policy changes that raise more domestic resources for health, make health spending more efficient, and reduce out-of-pocket payments. By linking health priorities to financing decisions, the Hub supports more sustainable health systems and wider access to quality, affordable care.
These initiatives are part of the WBG’s Health Works effort to reach 1.5 billion people by identifying and scaling proven solutions across three priorities: digitally enabled primary health care, sustainable health financing, and local manufacturing and resilient supply chains. Together, these efforts aim to bring quality care closer to people, make health services more affordable, and ensure reliable access to essential medicines and vaccines while creating high-quality jobs.
“Reaching 1.5 billion people is not just a question of financing. It is about finding what works and scaling it,” said Paschal Donohoe, Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer of the World Bank Group. “By mobilizing private capital, working with partners, and sharing knowledge across countries, we can help governments deliver quality health care that is close to home, affordable, and backed by reliable medicines and vaccines.”
These announcements come just ahead of the UHC High-Level Forum in Tokyo in December 2026, where world leaders and health ministers will gather to accelerate progress toward UHC. The forum will take stock of country progress, share lessons from successful reforms, and mobilize further action, partnerships, and investment to expand access to quality, affordable health services.
Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI: “When the next outbreak strikes, ASEAN countries should not be left waiting for vaccines from elsewhere. The capabilities needed to respond quickly must be built, tested, and sustained before a crisis begins. That is why we are connecting manufacturing capacity for routine immunization with the ability to pivot rapidly in an outbreak. Through this partnership, CEPI is supporting the ASEAN Vaccine Security and Self-Reliance Initiative to build a resilient regional vaccine ecosystem that is ready to respond when new threats emerge.”
Frederik Kristensen, Managing Director, RVMC: “Today’s investment marks a significant step forward for ASEAN’s vaccine security and self-reliance. Sustainable vaccine manufacturing requires both capacity and viable market conditions. Through this partnership, RVMC will continue to support implementation, partner alignment, and the optimization of ASEAN’s manufacturing capabilities and market conditions, in line with regional priorities.”
Nakorn Premsri, Director of the National Vaccine Institute, Thailand: “By bringing together ASEAN Member States and partners under the AVSSR initiative to strengthen collaboration across R&D, manufacturing, procurement, supply chains, regulatory systems, workforce development, and financing, we can build a more sustainable and resilient regional vaccine ecosystem to meet both routine needs and the demands of health emergencies.”
Naina Subberwal Batra, CEO of AVPN: “Expanding access to quality, affordable healthcare across Asia requires more than capital. It takes strong partnerships and coordinated action across sectors and borders to turn shared ambition into lasting impact. As Asia’s largest platform for social impact, AVPN brings together close to 1,000 resource providers, innovators, and intermediaries across 43 markets, helping align resources and expertise around challenges that no single organization can solve alone. Our role is to make these connections count, building the trust and coordination needed to mobilize capital and expertise towards solutions that can improve health outcomes for more communities worldwide.”
M. Chatib Basri, Co-chair of the Pandemic Fund Board: “We welcome this important partnership, led by the World Bank Group, to support the ASEAN Vaccine Security and Self-Reliance Initiative. Investing in preparedness capacities — within countries and through stronger regional collaboration — is essential to building resilient health systems and safeguarding the health and security of people across ASEAN. By bringing together public and philanthropic capital and aligning investments with country and regional priorities, we can help ensure that the region is better prepared to prevent, detect, and respond to future health threats.”
Mr. Atsushi Mimura, Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs, Japan “The value of private capital mobilization goes beyond financing. Responding to emerging health needs with private capital, technology and expertise can not only improve health outcomes but also create jobs and support economic growth. Sustainable health financing, underpinned by strong finance-health coordination, is key to ensuring the predictability needed to attract private capital. Japan remains committed to advancing country-led health financing reforms, including through the UHC Knowledge Hub and the UHC High-Level Forum 2026 to be held in December in Tokyo. Please join me on the journey from Bangkok to Tokyo.”
Source: www.worldbank.org
