| 8:30 AM – 8:45 AM 8:45 AM – 9:15 AM | Opening Session Welcome Remarks Mr. Scott Morris, Vice-President (East and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific) Asian Development Bank (ADB) Keynote Speech Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, former Chief Scientist, World Health Organization (WHO) and former Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India |
| 9:15 AM – 10:45 AM | Session 1: Pandemic Preparedness—Lessons from COVID-19 and Other Health Crises This session examines country experiences of responses to COVID-19 and other health crises and aims to draw lessons learned and good practices that shape innovative approaches to pandemic responses, preparedness, and health system resilience. Moderator: Mr. Jae Kyoun Kim, Health Specialist, Human and Social Development Sector Office (SD-HSD), ADB Presenter: Dr. Rosanna Peeling, Emeritus Professor, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Founding Director, International Diagnostics Centre (IDC) Panelists: Dr. Hoon Sang Lee, Chief Strategy Officer, RIGHT Foundation (Research Investment for Global Health Technology Fund), Republic of Korea Mr. Eduardo P. Banzon, Director, SD-HSD, ADB |
| 10:45 AM – 11:00 AM | Coffee Break |
| 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM | Session 2: Creating A Multilateral Financing Mechanism for Pandemic Preparedness This session discusses the design and setup of a new multilateral financing mechanism for DMCs to serve as a regional platform for health risk surveillance and pandemic responses, with support from MDBs, international organizations, and donors. The proposed financing mechanism will ensure strategic engagement with vaccine manufacturers and developers and undertake procurement of medical countermeasures on behalf of DMCs. Moderator: Ms. Sofia Shakil, Director, SD-HSD, ADB Mr. Robert Boothe, Principal Planning and Policy Economist, Strategy, Policy, and Partnerships Department, ADB (virtual) |
| 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM | Lunch |
| 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM | Session 3: Ensuring Access to Medical Countermeasures through Strategic Procurement This session contemplates effective procurement strategies to ensure timely and equitable access to medical countermeasures (vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics including oxygen) in responses to the future known and unknown health security threats. The discussions will guide how DMCs and MDBs can work together to implement advance purchase agreements, which provide the manufacturer some prepayment and a legally binding commitment to procure the vaccine conditional on regulatory authorization. Moderator: Mr. Philipp Kalpaxis, Principal Procurement Specialist, Procurement, Portfolio, and Financial Management Department, ADB Presenter: Dr. Prashant Yadav, Senior Fellow for Global Health, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Panelists: Mr. Santiago Cornejo, Executive Manager, Regional Revolving Funds PAHO and former Director, Country Engagement at COVAX Facility |
| 3:00 PM – 3:15 PM | Coffee Break |
| 3:15 PM – 4:45 PM | Session 4: Bridging Financing Gaps for Pandemic Preparedness This session explores the roles of MDBs, international organizations, and donors in bridging the financing gaps for pandemic preparedness in DMCs. The session aims to shed light on how ADB and other development partners can realign its priorities and existing financing modalities toward impactful pandemic preparedness investments. Moderator: Mr. Dinesh Arora, Principal Health Specialist, Human and Social Development Sector Office, Sector Department 3, ADB Presenter: Dr. Kalipso Chalkidou, Director of Health Financing and Economics, World Health Organization (virtual) Panelists: DMC Representatives (to be confirmed) |
| 4:45 PM – 5:00 PM | CLOSING SESSION Closing Remarks Ms. Ayako Inagaki, Senior Sector Director, Health and Social Development Sector Group, Sector Department 3, ADB |