Carl Bildt, former Swedish Prime Minister, Appoints WHO Special Envoy for ACT Accelerator

Notes to editors

Access to COVID-19 Tools ACT-Accelerator is a proven, global collaboration that accelerates the development, production and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines. It was established in response to a call from G20 leaders in March and was launched by the WHO, the European Commission, France and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in April 2020.

The ACT-Accelerator is not a decision-making body nor is it a new organization, but works to accelerate the joint efforts of existing organizations to stop a pandemic. It is a collaborative framework designed to bring key players closer to the table with a view to ending the pandemic as quickly as possible through accelerated development, equitable distribution and expanded delivery of tests, treatment and vaccines, protecting system health and rebuilding societies and economies in the short term. It draws on the experience of the world’s leading health organizations, which deal with the most difficult health challenges in the world and which together can unlock new and more ambitious results against COVID-19. Its members are committed to providing all people with access to all the tools needed to win COVID-19 and working with unprecedented levels of partnership to achieve it.

The ACT-Accelerator consists of four pillars: diagnostics, therapy, vaccines, and health system strengthening.

• The diagnostic pillar convened jointly by the Global Fund and FIND is aimed at ensuring equal access to new and existing tests, supporting introduction and application in countries and strengthening the diagnostic portfolio by investing in research and development in cheap, simple and quality tests. In 2021, it focused on the procurement and distribution of at least 900 million molecular and AG-RDTs to LMICs.
• Therapeutic column of water Unitaid and Wellcome. Therapists can play a role in all stages of COVID-19 disease: to prevent infection; suppress symptoms and spread the infection to others; treat or prevent symptoms; as a life-saving treatment for severe symptoms; and as a treatment that can speed recovery. The goal is to develop, produce and distribute millions of doses of treatment over the next 12 months, helping COVID-19 sufferers recover from the disease.
• The vaccine pillar, convened by CEPI, Gavi and the WHO, is accelerating the search for an effective vaccine for all countries. At the same time, it supports capacity building and buys supplies ahead of time so that at least 2 billion doses can be fairly distributed to the world’s most prominent and highly exposed populations by the end of 2021.
• The Health Systems Connector Pillar, led by the World Bank, Global Fund, and WHO, works to ensure that these tools can reach the people who need them.
• Interconnecting all flows is an access and allocation workflow, led by the World Health Organization (WHO).

As of April 2020, ACT-Accelerator supports the fastest, most consistent, and most successful global efforts in history in developing disease control tools. With significant advances in research and development by academia, the private sector, and government initiatives, ACT-Accelerator has enhanced our understanding of what works in the fight against disease. It has transformed our ability to fight COVID-19 globally: vaccines are ready for deployment worldwide, cheap antigen rapid diagnostic tests can now detect transmission anywhere, affordable therapy for severe disease can save lives in any setting, and health systems are preparing to eject tools.

Find out more: https://www.who.int/initiatives/act-accelerator