African Small Island States win Global UN Award for transforming access to essential...

Across clinics in Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles, Cabo Verde, Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau, and São Tomé and Príncipe-collectively known as Africa's Small Island Developing States (SIDS)-access to essential medicines is beginning to change.

This quiet but profound shift has now earned global acclaim. This week at the United Nations in New York, African SIDS received the 2025 UN SIDS Partnership Award in the Economic category for their pioneering Pooled Procurement Initiative-an ambitious, WHO-supported partnership transforming access to essential medicines across the islands.

"This award reflects the determination of African SIDS (Small Island Developing States) to transform long-standing challenges into collective opportunities. Through pooled procurement, African SIDS are expanding access to affordable, quality-assured medicines, and proving the power of regional solidarity in advancing health for all," said Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

For communities living on small islands, where health systems are shaped by distance, high freight costs and limited negotiating power, the award represents far more than an institutional milestone. It reflects a tangible improvement in daily life.

The pooled procurement mechanism-the only operational one in the WHO African Region-unites six African SIDS and Madagascar to negotiate and purchase essential medicines as a single bloc. By consolidating demand, these countries have gained market leverage once out of reach for small island economies.

The UN judging panel commended the initiative as "a pioneering African partnership demonstrating measurable economic impact, strong governance, and transformative regional solidarity."

Since its launch, the pooled procurement mechanism has delivered major, independently verified results. The first international tender is expected to cut factory prices by an average of 56% across 47 essential medicines formulations, with individual savings ranging from 3% to 94%. Countries are already seeing direct financial gains, including about 26% savings in Seychelles and 13% in Mauritius from initial orders.

The initiative has also harmonized procurement by establishing a unified list of 67 priority medicines, which drew bids from 37 international suppliers and led to the selection of six suppliers from five countries.

A 2022 analysis projects the mechanism could save approximately US$ 34 million over five years, excluding additional efficiencies such as lower tendering costs, shorter lead times, reduced freight charges and lighter supplier-management workloads.

Sustainability is being secured through the transfer of the Secretariat from WHO to the Government of Mauritius, strengthening regional ownership. This marks one of the most significant health-system gains for African island nations in a decade.

Targeted support from the UHC Partnership, the European Union and other partners has strengthened procurement systems, built technical capacity and enabled the Secretariat's transition. These contributions have accelerated progress toward a sustainable pooled mechanism, demonstrating how political commitment and collective action can transform health and economic efficiency in small island settings.

The award in New York underscores what African SIDS have demonstrated through this partnership: that even the smallest health systems can deliver big, scalable solutions when they act together.

About the UN SIDS Partnership Awards

The UN SIDS Partnership Awards recognize the world's most exemplary partnerships advancing sustainable development in Small Island Developing States. Awardees are selected for innovation, measurable impact, transparency, and alignment with the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS).