Join the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines

Countries classified as low- or middle-income by the World Bank at the time of applications closing on 9 September 2026. Country context will also be considered to determine eligibility including the presence of protracted crises such as widespread conflict or disaster, which inhibits the proper functioning of government and therefore the ability for the Global Platform to operate in-country.

Applications close on 9 September 2026.

The Minister of Health or a senior government official such as a Permanent Secretary or Director-General. This should be documented in the form of a cover letter from the designated senior government official confirming country endorsement, complementing the Application Form.

The Ministry of Health leads the activities of the Global Platform in-country, and applications can only be accepted that are submitted and endorsed by the Minister of Health or a senior government official such as a Permanent Secretary or Director-General. 

The Global Platform will only assess countries that have submitted a complete application. Exceptions to the submission process will not be granted. 

Yes, all countries interested in participating in this new cohort of countries must apply again, regardless of whether they applied in previous cohorts or not. 

Eligibility does not guarantee selection. The Global Platform will undertake a selection process that will commence following the close of applications on 9 September 2026 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. 

The Global Platform will conduct prioritization through a consultative process with its partners, leveraging a combination of publicly available data, information provided in the country's application, and qualitative input from partners.

Countries will be prioritized for selection based on equity considerations, country context, country preparedness to receive, distribute and safely administer medicines provided by the Global Platform, and national burden of disease. 

Equity will be considered, factoring in childhood cancer survival rates, the ability to pay as defined by income-level, and financial protection indicators.

Preparedness considerations will be made across six core dimensions: governance; clinical aspects; supply management; regulatory; monitoring and evaluation; and financing.

Governance will be assessed on the ability to partner with the government to implement the programme as well as the presence of political will and established governance mechanisms for cancer care. Countries should consider including in their application any active or planned participation in global or national projects for paediatric oncology. For example, engagement with WHO Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC) and/or St. Jude Global projects, or the presence of a dedicated national cancer programme or active technical working group for paediatric oncology.

Clinical preparedness will be assessed based on the presence of clinical protocols and support for cancer, and particularly, the presence of in-country standardized treatment protocols for paediatric cancer diagnoses.

Supply management capacity will be assessed by the proven ability to coordinate product procurement through international organization(s) and distribute medications through domestic logistics networks, and the ability to store, distribute, and track medicines effectively.

Regulatory preparedness will be assessed on the presence of clear pathways for importation, including the ability to use expedited/accelerated registration and clearance processes.

Monitoring and evaluation will be assessed on the availability of systems in place for regular reporting monitoring and evaluation, including hospital-based paediatric cancer registries, logistics management information systems or other systems to track medicines through the supply chain, or the presence of existing national reporting mechanisms of oncology-specific indicators.

Country financing is assessed based on the capacity and commitment to progressively mobilize domestic financing for cancer medicines, in line with the Global Platform’s Country Financial Sustainability Policy.  

Electronically via the provided email addresses (gpaccm@who.int and gpaccm@stjude.org), copying the respective WHO Country Office representative.

The number of countries selected will depend on the total available and forecasted resources of the Global Platform, results from country prioritization, and expected financial implications of supporting children across the countries under consideration. It is, however, not expected to deviate substantially from the number of countries selected in previous cohorts (6 countries per cohort).

Countries from all geographical regions will be considered. Country selection will not be based on regional representation. Nonetheless, country context will be considered during the selection process, including whether a country is fragile or conflict affected, a small island developing state, or presents other regional specificities, to enable the Global Platform to maintain a diversified, global country portfolio.

Countries are expected to be notified on the outcomes of the selection process by the end of 2026. This includes countries who are not selected for the next cohort of participating countries.

Onboarding of the next cohort of countries is planned to commence in Q1 2027.

A country that is not selected for the 2026 cohort can be considered again for future cohorts by resubmitting its application for a subsequent cohort.  The Global Platform will endeavour to provide feedback to all non-selected countries and explore alternative ways of collaborating where possible.