06 April 2021, Tuesday, Geneva, Switzerland – In line with its commitment to stand in solidarity with the human family in the fight against the COVID19 pandemic, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines contributed USD100,000 for the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), through GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.
COVAX is the vaccine pillar of the Access to COVID-19 tools (ACT) Accelerator – the global-risk sharing mechanism for pooled procurement and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, intended to make vaccines accessible to the most vulnerable. The COVAX Facility, coordinated by GAVI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organization, serves as a platform in providing equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines to COVAX Facility participating countries and economies.
The Philippine Government contribution to GAVI, in addition to a similar contribution to CEPI, will go towards health interventions to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on low income and lower-middle income countries and territories, by providing access to COVID-19 tools.
In addition to being a donor to both GAVI and CEPI, the Philippines is also a beneficiary, as one of the 92 eligible economies under the COVAX-AMC, having already received the first deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines in March 2021.
The principle of shared responsibility, in being a donor to a fund for which the Philippines is also a beneficiary, are fully aligned with the pronouncement of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte at the 75th United Nations General Assembly in September 2020, on the importance of acting in solidarity to address the pandemic, which will define humanity’s common future. END