8 March 2021
Now in its fourth year, the Global Health 50/50 2021 Report, Gender equality: Flying blind in a time of crisis reviews the 201 most influential organisations active in global health, including the Medicines Patent Pool, to assess how gender equality is being advanced within organisations and health programmes, taking an in-depth look at gender in health-related COVID-19 responses. Again this year, MPP is listed among 33 high scorer on gender equality and part of the top 45.
Despite a calamitous 2020, the report finds notable areas of progress and hope. The new data and research show that organisational commitment to gender equality is surging, and that organisations are becoming more transparent about their policies on shaping diverse, inclusive and equitable working environments for people.
However all is not rosy, the report’s latest data suggests that rhetoric is often used as a substitute for action and that programmatic activity to prevent and address the health impacts of COVID-19 largely ignores the role of gender. Yet gender influences everything from who gets tested for COVID-19 to risk of severe disease and death. The result is gender-blind pandemic responses that are less effective than they should be, with grave consequences for the health of billions of people around the world.
Read the report
Access MPP’s final scoring
Related Publications
Press and Media
The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) is a United Nations-backed public health organisation working to increase access to and facilitate the development of life-saving medicines for low- and middle-income countries. Through its innovative business model, MPP partners with civil society, governments, international organisations, industry, patient groups, and other stakeholders to prioritise and license needed medicines and pool intellectual property to encourage generic manufacture and the development of new formulations.
To date, MPP has signed agreements with 22 patent holders for 13 HIV antiretrovirals, one HIV technology platform, three hepatitis C direct-acting antivirals, a tuberculosis treatment, a cancer treatment, four long-acting technologies, a post-partum haemorrhage medicine, three oral antiviral treatments for COVID-19 and 16 COVID-19 technologies.
MPP was founded by Unitaid, which continues to be MPP’s main funder. MPP’s work on access to essential medicines is also funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Government of Canada, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Government of Flanders. MPP’s activities in COVID-19 are undertaken with the financial support of the Japanese Government, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the German Agency for International Cooperation, and SDC.