IVI’s 2021 State Forum highlights opportunities to bridge global vaccine gaps
SEOUL, REPUBLIC OF KOREA, October 7, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- • Until Everyone Is Safe: Global Vaccine Needs and IVI’s Capabilities was livestreamed on October 7, 2021 at 16:00 Korea Standard Time, and a recording of the event is available here.
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) hosted its annual State Forum today, bringing together government officials from IVI’s state parties and partner countries to identify gaps in vaccine supply and delivery and to discuss opportunities for building vaccine research, development, and manufacturing capacity in low- and middle-income countries. This year’s dialogue focused on individual country needs and the spectrum of IVI’s capabilities to help solve shared global health challenges.
“Expanding vaccine R&D and manufacturing capacity to more countries is a critical component of ending the COVID-19 pandemic and establishing a new global infrastructure that can prevent future ones…Through the State Forum, I hope we may explore and develop new opportunities for IVI and its partners to work together toward achieving our common global health goals, especially the equitable availability and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines on a global scale,” said Mr. George Bickerstaff, Chairperson of IVI’s Board of Trustees.
The forum was livestreamed from IVI headquarters in Seoul, Korea and featured congratulatory remarks from Prof. Krishnaswamy VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the government of India, and Dr. Kwon Jun-Wook, President of the Korea National Institute of Health. Additionally, Prof. Baik Lin Seong, Director General of Vaccine Innovative Technology ALliance Korea, and Mr. Sai D. Prasad, Executive Director of Bharat Biotech and President of the Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network, gave keynote presentations on building vaccine manufacturing capacities in low- and middle-income countries.
In line with this year’s State Forum theme, representatives from IVI’s state parties shared their perspectives on country priorities for vaccines and vaccinations, including remarks from: Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Finland, Ecuador, India, Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Sweden, and Vietnam. An additional 29 number of diplomats from IVI’s member and non-member countries participated in the online forum as observers.
Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI, gave final remarks and closed the event with a statement of IVI’s commitment to address its state parties’ needs and to work in close cooperation to build sustainable solutions to ending the COVID-19 pandemic and developing vaccines against other preventable diseases that disproportionally affect low-resource settings.
He said: “The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has put critical gaps in vaccine manufacturing and accessibility on the global agenda, and it has never been clearer that building capacity at all stages of disease prevention and pandemic preparedness—at local, regional, and global levels—is a priority for the safety and wellness of people and societies everywhere.” His full statement is available here.
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About the International Vaccine Institute (IVI)
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is a nonprofit inter-governmental organization established in 1997 at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). IVI has 36 signatory countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) on its treaty, including the Republic of Korea, Sweden, India, and Finland as state funders.
Our mandate is to make vaccines available and accessible for the world’s most vulnerable people. We focus on infectious diseases of global health importance such as cholera, typhoid, shigella, salmonella, schistosomiasis, chikungunya, group A strep, Hepatitis A, HPV, TB, HIV, MERS, COVID-19, as well as antimicrobial resistance. For more information, please visit https://www.ivi.int.
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) hosted its annual State Forum today, bringing together government officials from IVI’s state parties and partner countries to identify gaps in vaccine supply and delivery and to discuss opportunities for building vaccine research, development, and manufacturing capacity in low- and middle-income countries. This year’s dialogue focused on individual country needs and the spectrum of IVI’s capabilities to help solve shared global health challenges.
“Expanding vaccine R&D and manufacturing capacity to more countries is a critical component of ending the COVID-19 pandemic and establishing a new global infrastructure that can prevent future ones…Through the State Forum, I hope we may explore and develop new opportunities for IVI and its partners to work together toward achieving our common global health goals, especially the equitable availability and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines on a global scale,” said Mr. George Bickerstaff, Chairperson of IVI’s Board of Trustees.
The forum was livestreamed from IVI headquarters in Seoul, Korea and featured congratulatory remarks from Prof. Krishnaswamy VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the government of India, and Dr. Kwon Jun-Wook, President of the Korea National Institute of Health. Additionally, Prof. Baik Lin Seong, Director General of Vaccine Innovative Technology ALliance Korea, and Mr. Sai D. Prasad, Executive Director of Bharat Biotech and President of the Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network, gave keynote presentations on building vaccine manufacturing capacities in low- and middle-income countries.
In line with this year’s State Forum theme, representatives from IVI’s state parties shared their perspectives on country priorities for vaccines and vaccinations, including remarks from: Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Finland, Ecuador, India, Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Sweden, and Vietnam. An additional 29 number of diplomats from IVI’s member and non-member countries participated in the online forum as observers.
Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI, gave final remarks and closed the event with a statement of IVI’s commitment to address its state parties’ needs and to work in close cooperation to build sustainable solutions to ending the COVID-19 pandemic and developing vaccines against other preventable diseases that disproportionally affect low-resource settings.
He said: “The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has put critical gaps in vaccine manufacturing and accessibility on the global agenda, and it has never been clearer that building capacity at all stages of disease prevention and pandemic preparedness—at local, regional, and global levels—is a priority for the safety and wellness of people and societies everywhere.” His full statement is available here.
###
About the International Vaccine Institute (IVI)
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is a nonprofit inter-governmental organization established in 1997 at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). IVI has 36 signatory countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) on its treaty, including the Republic of Korea, Sweden, India, and Finland as state funders.
Our mandate is to make vaccines available and accessible for the world’s most vulnerable people. We focus on infectious diseases of global health importance such as cholera, typhoid, shigella, salmonella, schistosomiasis, chikungunya, group A strep, Hepatitis A, HPV, TB, HIV, MERS, COVID-19, as well as antimicrobial resistance. For more information, please visit https://www.ivi.int.
Aerie Em
International Vaccine Institute
aerie.em@ivi.int
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IVI State Forum 2021