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."

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