Singapore contributes US$15m to Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
SINGAPORE will contribute a total of US$15 million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) over 5 years, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung announced on Wednesday (Mar 9).
The contribution will be used in CEPI's mission of accelerating vaccine development against emerging infectious diseases and enabling equitable access to these vaccines.
Speaking in a pre-recorded speech during the Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit held in London, Minister Ong said that it is "only good sound sense" to invest sufficiently and collectively in global transnational pandemic preparedness capabilities, with a key area being vaccine development and production.
"This is where CEPI plays an indispensable role in the global health architecture," he said, noting that transnational issues such as research and development, and scaling up manufacturing and distribution capabilities for vaccines require increased collective financing and action.
Beyond the US$15 million contribution, Singapore also welcomes technical exchanges and collaborations with CEPI, Minister Ong added.
"All countries large or small have responsibilities to collectively rectify the longstanding under-investment in pandemic preparedness," he said. "We strongly urge all countries to contribute towards our common goal of a strengthened global health system, and emerge stronger together from the pandemic."
GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
KEYWORDS IN THIS ARTICLE
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
International
China’s first special bond sale likely to see solid demand
IMF knocks Biden’s China tariffs as risk to US, world growth
US SEC updates customer data hacking rules for Wall Street
Hong Kong’s shaky crypto ETF debuts dent global hub aspirations
US Fed officials suggest interest rates should stay high for longer
US import prices increase by the most in two years in April