Government pledge €18m in global battle to defeat Covid-19

An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar has announced that Ireland has pledged €18 million as part of global efforts to defeat the coronavirus. 

The Government has pledged €18 million in support of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, for use between 2021 and 2025. 

This funding will support GAVI’s important work in procuring vaccines and distributing them to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries, including a vaccine for Covid-19 when it becomes available. 

This pledge brings the total that Ireland has already committed to combat Covid-19 to €78 million. This will support the vital work of multilateral institutions including the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund, and will assist NGOs and bilateral partners, including Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda and Ethiopia. 

Joining world leaders by video for the ‘Coronavirus Global Response International Pledging Event’, co-hosted by the EU, the Taoiseach said: “The only way we can defeat a global threat is by working together on a multilateral basis. Ireland and the European Union are committed to doing exactly that.  

“Working together we can develop an effective vaccine, effective treatments, testing systems that work, diagnostics and therapeutics. Ireland wants to play its part in this effort.

 “Sooner or later we will defeat this virus. We will develop the vaccine that prevents it and the medicines that treat the disease. It is really important that nobody in the world is left out when that happens.” 

This pledging conference aims to close the €7.5 billion funding gap identified by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board to rapidly develop solutions to test, treat and protect people against Covid-19.