On 21 September 2020, members of the “Friends of the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility” (FOF) issued a statement of support for the Facility. The statement, at Annex, underscores members’ strong support for vaccine multilateralism and the COVAX Facility’s efforts to ensure access to COVID-19 vaccines for all.
The FOF, co-chaired by Singapore and Switzerland, comprises the following 14 countries and the European Union: Australia, Canada, Iceland, Israel, Japan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Norway, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
21 SEPTEMBER 2020
Annex
STATEMENT BY FRIENDS OF THE COVAX FACILITY (FOF)
The Friends of the COVAX Facility (FOF) strongly support vaccine multilateralism and the goal of ensuring affordable, fair and equitable access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for all.
The COVAX Facility is about to set a precedent of multilateral cooperation and solidarity and the FOF firmly believes in the importance and impact of this global initiative. We support the Facility’s goal to deliver two billion doses of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines by 2021, and welcome that it currently manages the world’s largest and most diverse COVID-19 vaccine portfolio. The FOF is pleased to have participated collaboratively in the Facility’s co-creation.
Members of the FOF have expressed their intent to participate in the Facility and some have already submitted legally-binding Commitment Agreements. We will continue supporting Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to operationalise the Facility.
Ending the COVID-19 pandemic requires a bold, collective effort. We encourage other countries to join this collective global effort to support vaccine multilateralism, and to ensure the unimpeded fair and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines worldwide.
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21 September 2020