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SINGAPORE – The Republic will contribute US $ 5 million (S $ 6.6 million) to a global initiative to ensure sufficient Covid-19 vaccine production and access for the poorest nations.
The Advanced Market Engagement (AMC) is a mechanism under the Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (Covax). Its aim is to incentivize manufacturers to produce sufficient quantities of Covid-19 vaccines and to guarantee access to developing countries.
In a statement, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that this “will help support the access of 92 low- and lower-middle-income countries to Covid-19 vaccines through the Covax Facility.”
Countries eligible for AMC include several Asean countries, as well as small states globally, the ministries noted.
Eligible Asean countries are Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
The Covax Facility is a global risk-sharing mechanism that seeks to acquire, equitably distribute, and administer two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines by the end of 2021.
It does this by supporting research, development, and manufacturing of a wide range of candidate vaccines and by negotiating their prices.
As of November 25, Singapore is one of 97 self-financing participants in the mechanism.
The facility’s implementing partners are the World Health Organization; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and the Coalition for Innovations in Epidemic Preparedness.
Singapore is also co-chairing the Friends of the Covax Facility group with Switzerland to support the work of the facility.
The two ministries said the pandemic has had a significant impact on public health, society, and the economy both at home and abroad.
“The virus does not respect borders and no one is safe until everyone is safe,” they said, adding that “the successful development of safe and effective vaccines is a critical step to overcome the pandemic.”
The ministries said: “Singapore will continue to work closely with our international partners, in particular the United Nations; the World Health Organization; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and the Coalition for Innovations in Epidemic Preparedness to promote vaccine multilateralism and forging a global response to this pandemic. “
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