The decision aligns PAHO’s two Funds, the Revolving Fund for Access to Vaccines and the Strategic Fund, under a single Regional Revolving Fund framework.
Washington, D.C., 29 September 2026 – The Member States of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) have approved measures to strengthen and align PAHO's Regional Revolving Funds under a more integrated framework designed to improve access to essential health technologies across the Americas, while preserving the principles that have guided the Funds for decades.
The decision brings together the Revolving Fund for Access to Vaccines and the Strategic Fund under a single Regional Revolving Fund framework. Approved during the 63rd PAHO Directing Council, the new structure will provide a more coordinated mechanism to support countries in accessing vaccines, medicines, diagnostics, medical devices and other public health technologies. The change responds to the evolving needs of countries and aims to make PAHO’s support more efficient, flexible, and responsive.
“PAHO’s Revolving Funds are a unique example of regional solidarity and cooperation, and other parts of the world are now looking at similar models,” said PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa. “This update will help the Funds operate in a more integrated and effective way, allowing PAHO to better support countries in accessing the vaccines, medicines, diagnostics, and other health technologies they need.”
"This is a necessary evolution of one of the Region’s most successful public health cooperation mechanisms," said Santiago Cornejo, Executive Manager of the program. "By strengthening alignment across the Regional Revolving Funds, PAHO will be better positioned to meet Member States’ evolving needs, while maintaining the cooperation, transparency, and sustainability that have defined the Funds for decades."
The strengthened Regional Revolving Fund is expected to offer various benefits to Member States, including greater operational efficiency, improved coordination across product categories, increased flexibility in the use of credit line resources, and a stronger capacity to respond to public health emergencies and emerging needs. The new framework will also support countries' efforts to expand access to increasingly innovative and complex health technologies.
The changes preserve the core principles of the Funds, including voluntary participation by countries, transparency, financial sustainability, and access to health technologies for all. The existing financing model and benefits available to Member States will remain in place.
The program will continue to serve as a flagship initiative of PAHO’s technical cooperation package, helping countries work together to create conducive conditions for access to health technologies, strengthen health systems, and advance health security.
For more than 40 years, PAHO’s Revolving Funds have helped countries improve access to quality and innovative health products, contributing to major public health achievements across the Americas. Over the last biennium alone, the Funds helped protect an estimated 170 million people through pooled procurement and shared financing mechanisms.
