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WANTS TO SECURE THE VACCINE: Norway has now committed to an international vaccine collaboration, in addition to the EU collaboration, says Development Minister Dag Inge Ulstein. Photo: Tore Kristiansen
On Monday, Norway joined the international COVAX vaccine collaboration. – It is absolutely crucial, says Development Minister Dag Inge Ulstein (KrF).
After several weeks of negotiations, it became clear on Monday that Norway will participate in the global COVAX vaccine collaboration.
The cooperation will guarantee the joint procurement and distribution of vaccines to all countries.
Development Aid Minister Dag Inge Ulstein (KrF) confirms that Norway will participate in the cooperation as soon as the EU gives the opportunity to do so on Monday.
– It is absolutely crucial that the EU opens the opportunity to join the cooperation, he tells VG.
Guarantee access to more vaccines
The government already has a procurement agreement with the EU through Sweden and can therefore guarantee the pre-order of several promising candidate vaccines.
However, some clauses of the EU cooperation on vaccines have generated uncertainty as to whether Norway can participate in COVAX cooperation.
Monday confirmed The European Commission who intend to commit to international cooperation – and therefore open at the same time for Norway to engage.
The cooperation guarantees Norway’s access to more vaccines than the EU cooperation. In addition, the collaboration will ensure access to the corona vaccine for low- and middle-income countries.
The WHO calls the EU decision “a clear compromise.”
The deadline to commit to the COVAX collaboration through a so-called declaration of intent expires on Monday. Both Norway and Germany got engaged on the same day. September 18 is the next deadline for countries to commit financially.
Will not contribute to nationalization
The COVAX collaboration is led by the World Health Organization (WHO), along with the CEPI and GAVI vaccine alliances. The idea is that all countries receive doses of vaccines at the same time, so that they can distribute them to the most affected population groups.
Norway has billions have already been given for vaccine development through CEPI, so that even poor countries have access to vaccines.
Now Norway can secure a vaccine for the population through cooperation.
– In no way do we want to contribute to a nationalization of the vaccine race. It is not in our interest or in the world, emphasizes Ulstein.
He explains that the negotiations between Norway, the European Commission and the WHO have been going on for a long time.
– Since CEPI took the initiative of COVAX in May, we have wanted to get to where we are today. Until today, we’ve had concerns that we can’t commit to Covax, he says.
Ulstein says Norway, along with Germany, has worked with the EU Commission and GAVI to achieve better cooperation between the EU and Covax. Now Ulstein hopes that other EU countries will join in the cooperation.
– Although we have good access to candidate vaccines throughout the EU, we can by no means rule out that the best candidate vaccine is part of the COVAX collaboration.
Important milestone
“We have not finally reached the goal, but this is an incredibly important milestone,” says Ulstein.
He believes that this is the best response the world can give to the pandemic.
– If the EU had not said “yes”, COVAX would not have become a real alternative for low-income countries. It had become an aid project. It is not unimportant, but now we see the importance of Mali, Malawi and Nepal being vaccinated as well. Joint vaccination will be an important common route, he emphasizes.
Ulstein is clear that covax cooperation would have been less effective for low- and middle-income countries if the EU Commission had not chosen to participate in COVAX.
– No one is safe until everyone is safe, emphasizes Ulstein.
