2021 saw multiple challenges that slowed down the progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — a shortfall leading the world to encounter a range of crises threatening the very core of human and planetary health.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continued to significantly disrupt global health supply chains, leading to an unprecedented challenge to waste management, shortage of health commodities, increase in unsustainable practices, and greenhouse gas emissions across the globe.

Throughout 2021, the UN Interagency on Sustainable Procurement in the Health Sector (SPHS) Task Team worked hard to deliver on their mission to step up efforts to create more sustainable and resilient global health systems for a better world for each and every one of us.

COVAX, the global initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines led and supported by SPHS members and their partners, delivered over 1 billion vaccines to 144 countries and territories, with 85% of the doses shipped to 86 lower-income countries.

The COP26 UN Climate Conference held in Glasgow witnessed the commitment of over 50 countries to take concrete steps towards creating health systems that are resilient to growing climate impacts, while many countries also committed to transform their health systems to be more sustainable and low carbon.