04 November 2025 – Gammarth, Tunisia
Excellencies,
Professor Mustapha Ferjani, Minister of Health,
Distinguished delegates, colleagues, and partners,
The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly reshaped how the world understands procurement and supply chains.
It exposed the fragility of global markets, the inequities in access, and the reality that procurement systems can either enable or delay lifesaving care.
Even the most advanced systems struggled,
proving that no country is immune in a global crisis.
It is now clear that, amid economic constraints, climate stress, and geopolitical complexity, procurement must evolve from a technical function to a strategic pillar of health security and preparedness.
The capacity to procure and deliver essential products—
efficiently, transparently, and equitably—
is central to every country’s ability to protect its people.
In the Eastern Mediterranean Region—a region of emergencies—
these challenges are even more acute.
Our countries continue to face conflict, displacement, and protracted crises that weaken health systems and disrupt essential supplies.
Although the Region represents less than 10 per cent of the world’s population, it accounts for a disproportionately high share of WHO’s global procurement spending.
In 2024–2025, nearly 54 per cent of WHO’s total procurement on behalf of Member States—
around 285 million USD—was directed to our Region,
mainly to fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable countries.
More than half of this amount was for medical products alone, underscoring both the magnitude of needs and the critical role of procurement in sustaining health services.
This dependence highlights the urgent need to build stronger, more self-reliant national systems.
That is precisely why we launched
the Flagship Initiative on Expanding Equitable Access to Medical Products—
to help countries reshape how they procure, produce, and regulate essential health commodities.
The Initiative is built on three interconnected pillars:
First, modern, data-driven procurement and supply chains.
Second, local and regional production.
And third, strong and efficient regulatory systems.
Across the Region, progress is tangible.
Saudi Arabia’s regulatory authority has reached maturity level 4
and is preparing to become the Region’s first WHO-Listed Authority by 2026.
Egypt’s authority has achieved maturity level 3,
with Morocco, Pakistan, and Tunisia close behind.
Earlier this year, six North African countries launched the
Medicines Regulatory Harmonization initiative
to strengthen convergence and joint oversight.
Local production is also advancing.
Egypt has developed its first national vaccine production strategy.
Tunisia and Iran are expanding mRNA and vaccine manufacturing.
And a regional meeting in Riyadh this year explored joint research and development on emerging technologies.
Equally important, WHO is helping countries modernize procurement and supply systems.
Efforts are advancing toward a regional pooled procurement mechanism—developed with PAHO’s collaboration—
to improve efficiency and solidarity in access to essential products.
This mechanism aims to aggregate demand across participating Member States
to secure better prices, ensure consistent quality,
and reduce dependency on fragmented procurement cycles.
It is a voluntary, Member State–led platform,
with WHO providing the technical backbone:
common standards, digital tools, quality-assurance frameworks,
and transparent governance.
It will begin with priority medicines and vaccines,
and expand to laboratory reagents and medical devices over time.
Beyond economies of scale, pooled procurement strengthens regional solidarity and resilience—
allowing countries to negotiate jointly,
leverage collective market power,
and ensure that no country is left behind during shortages or crises.
At country level, modernization is already yielding results.
Jordan’s new digitalized warehouse network
has cut delivery times, reduced stockouts, and enhanced transparency.
Similar reforms are advancing in Egypt and Morocco
to introduce data-driven procurement planning and oversight.
These advances show what is possible when countries invest in stronger systems—
but much more remains to be done.
As a Region of emergencies, we know that resilient procurement saves lives.
The next phase must focus on transforming procurement
from a support function
into a strategic driver of public health, equity, and sustainability
across every country in the Region.
