OLSO, Norway – The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at enhancing regional epidemic and pandemic preparedness.
The MoU also allows for the two organisations to support infectious disease prevention and response and greater equity in access to vaccines and other health technologies in the Americas, including the Caribbean.
The partnership will enable them to share technical expertise, knowledge and experience and to strengthen support to member states and partners in the Latin America and Caribbean region in areas related to vaccine research and development and in the rapid deployment of vaccines against emerging infectious diseases.
“A key lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic is the need to ensure more equitable access to vaccines and health technologies for countries in Latin America and the Caribbean,” said PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa.
“This collaboration aims to support efforts to increase regional vaccine development and manufacturing capacity in the Region and ensure countries are better prepared to handle present and future health emergencies,” he added.
CEPI chief executive officer, Richard Hatchett, said CEPI is delighted to formalise this new relationship with PAHO.
“This partnership will enable both organisations to draw on the strengths of the other and help to fortify our defences against emerging infectious diseases across the Americas. It is through global partnerships, like this one with PAHO, that we can forge a pathway to a pandemic free future, one where collaboration becomes the catalyst for stronger global health security.”
Additionally, the organisations say they will seek to further enhance disease surveillance, vaccine manufacturing and research and clinical trial capacity in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This will support equitable and timely access to vaccines and health technologies as part of epidemic and pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. CEPI and PAHO will further explore how best to leverage their respective expertise and resources to achieve these shared goals, identifying synergies to support projects of mutual interest without duplicating efforts or resources.
The MoU builds on previous fruitful collaborations over the years between CEPI and PAHO, including to foster technology transfer to facilitate regional vaccine manufacturing and supply.
CEPI was launched in 2017 as an innovative partnership between public, private, philanthropic and civil organizations. Its mission is to accelerate the development of vaccines and other biologic countermeasures against epidemic and pandemic disease threats and enable equitable access to them.
