Topic: 2025 – Vaccine Access and Distribution
Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Delegate Name: KenZie Low
World Health Organization
Vaccine Access and Distribution
Democratic Republic of the Congo
KenZie Low
City High School
The Immunization Agenda of 2030 (IA2030) was created after the COVID-19 pandemic to address the imperative issue of vaccine access and distribution across nations of different incomes and situations. The agenda builds upon the Global Vaccine Action Plan with a goal of delivering vaccines to everyone despite geographic, cultural, social, or other marginalized disadvantages. The IA2030, however, is adopting a more flexible model as it tailors to every nation’s specific needs and takes a bottom-up approach. This is especially important in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Vaccines have succeeded in greatly reducing the mortality rate of diseases such as measles, Ebola virus, and monkeypox, yet all these diseases are still widely prevalent in the DRC. To address vaccine access and distribution in the DRC, the IA2030 and international affiliates must first address the DRC’s impoverished health system and lack of development, staff, and supply chain measures for vaccines, as well as poor education as a result of violent conflict.
The DRC is beginning to have a high-level commitment to immunization within its nation. One of its goals is to provide free vaccinations to children under the age of five. President Felix Tshisekedi hosted three presidential forums to discuss common solutions to immunization access and distribution in the DRC, indicating the political motivation of the nation to battle diseases such as measles, Ebola virus, and monkeypox. However, the DRC continues to be among the top nations for zero-dose children and limited vaccine coverage. A part of the reason the DRC struggled to receive doses is due to the global stockpiling of vaccines. As a heavily donor-reliant country, higher-income countries keeping excessive doses while the DRC suffers from vaccine shortages has caused one in seven children to die from vaccine-preventable diseases before the age of five. The DRC also lacks the necessary infrastructure to both provide and maintain vaccines, as well as monitor disease. One of the only warehouses for vaccine storage lies in the capital, Kinshasa. The centralization of vaccine storage has made distributing vaccines to rural populations extremely difficult, as transportation systems are underdeveloped in the region. Warehouses also lack the temperature requirements to avoid vaccine degradation. While the central government continues to create policies for immunization, provincial leaders and the general population remain largely unaware and uneducated about vaccines in the DRC. Conflict and a lack of funding have caused outbreaks such as the Ebola outbreak of 2018 and limited immunization coverage in the DRC.
The DRC urges that vaccines be distributed with equity on the global scale. Excessive vaccine stockpiling should be condemned, as other nations such as the DRC struggle with vaccine scarcity. The DRC promotes awareness campaigns and collaboration within nations, with central leaders communicating with health systems and provincial leaders to create a common goal of vaccination. The DRC appreciates international cooperation, with respect to sovereignty, and the aid of the WHO, UNICEF, and donor nations. Training for staff, along with funding for better pay for those individuals, will create the human resources needed to provide vaccines to the population. The decentralization of vaccine storage and improvement in technology to both store and distribute vaccines will make them further accessible to the DRC’s large population. Finally, as a conflict-ridden country, the DRC recognizes that this domestic insecurity creates danger in basic healthcare. Promoting vaccine access and distribution even in conflict zones ensures adequate access even in conflict-affected countries such as the DRC.
Works Cited
Ditekemena, John D., et al. “COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance in the Democratic Republic of Congo: A Cross-Sectional Survey.” Vaccines, vol. 9, no. 2, 14 Feb. 2021, p. 153, https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9020153.
“IMMUNIZATION AGENDA 2030.” 1 Apr. 2020.
Kamba, Roger, et al. “Political Engagement: A Key Pillar in Revitalisation of Polio and Routine Immunisation Programmes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” BMJ Global Health, vol. 9, no. 10, 1 Oct. 2024, pp. e015675–e015675, gh.bmj.com/content/9/10/e015675.abstract, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2024-015675.
Khadija Motunrayo Musa, et al. “Measles in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Needs Urgent Attention.” Therapeutic Advances in Infectious Disease, vol. 11, 1 Jan. 2024, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11095177/, https://doi.org/10.1177/20499361241252534.
PATH. Immunization in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sept. 2016.
Starr, Kayleigh. “Fighting Malaria in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Pathways, Challenges, and Successes – Sabin Vaccine Institute.” Sabin Vaccine Institute, 26 June 2024, www.sabin.org/resources/fighting-malaria-in-the-democratic-republic-of-congo-pathways-challenges-and-successes/.
Tanveer, Ayesha, et al. “Wealth over Welfare: Mpox Vaccination Delayed in Disputed Region of Congo as High-Income Countries Stockpile Vaccines.” BMJ Global Health, vol. 10, no. 8, 1 Aug. 2025, pp. e018420–e018420, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12338035/, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2024-018420.
Wells, Chad R, et al. “The Exacerbation of Ebola Outbreaks by Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 116, no. 48, 2019, pp. 24366–24372. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/26863114, https://doi.org/10.2307/26863114.
Zhang, Alice. “What the Democratic Republic of Congo Could Teach Us about Strengthening Global Health Systems.” Unfoundation.org, 25 July 2022, unfoundation.org/blog/post/what-the-democratic-republic-of-congo-could-teach-us-about-strengthening-global-health-systems/.
