Japan hosts COVAX AMC summit virtually

Japan and Gavi co-hosted the virtual Advance Market Commitment (COVAX AMC) summit on Wednesday.

Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide co-chaired the meeting while José Manuel Barroso, Gavi Board Chair and Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu took the role of facilitator during the summit, said a press release.

This summit was organised to raise additional funding to secure necessary vaccines for the developing countries by the end of 2021.

It also aimed to ensure through the COVAX Facility equitable access to safe, effective and quality-assured vaccines thereby overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participants in the Summit include leaders and ministers from about 40 countries including Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States, António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General and other heads of international organisations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and representatives from the civil society and the private companies such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Prime Minister Suga called for further solidarity and commitments from the international community in the fight against COVID-19, and expressed Japan's full support for ensuring equitable access to safe and effective vaccines for as many people as possible with a view to achieving Universal Health Coverage guided by the principle of human security.

Prime Minister Suga also explained that Japan has continuously supported the efforts by the COVAX Facility, including through its financial contribution amounting to $200 million, and announced Japan's additional contribution of $800 million.

Furthermore, Prime Minister Suga expressed Japan's intention to provide, when circumstances allow and at an appropriate time, around 30 million doses of vaccines manufactured in Japan to other countries and regions, including through the COVAX Facility.

In this context, as one of the largest contributors to the COVAX Facility, Japan welcomes the arrival of 106,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine to Bangladesh on May 31, which was made possible through the COVAX AMC.

Japan will continue to cooperate with Bangladesh to suppress the spread of the COVID-19 and overcome this unprecedented crisis.