Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

388. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which the international community is prepared to combine its scientific expertise and resources to combat Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19087/20]

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the critical need for international collaboration across the scientific community and beyond, including open communication, shared resources and coordinated actions. As Dr. Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme, has said, “Nobody is safe until everybody is safe.”

Ireland’s membership of the European Union (EU), the United Nations (UN) and a range of multilateral and international organisations allows us to participate actively in the global health agenda and response to COVID-19, as set out in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals.

As the UN body with the mandate to advocate for universal healthcare, monitor public health risks, and coordinate responses to health emergencies, the World Health Organization is leading global efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, and mitigate its impact. Its guidance to all countries on the response to the pandemic, its global coordination efforts throughout the crisis, and its assistance to the most vulnerable countries, are crucial. Ireland’s funding as a member of the WHO contributes to the evidence, guidance and advice it produces. This directly informs our domestic public health response to the pandemic, along with that of the Europe Centre for Disease Control and the European Union.  Irish funding to the WHO this year has reached €16 million.

The Global Fund for Aids, TB and Malaria, an international partnership designed to accelerate the end of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics, is also a key player in the international response to COVID-19. The Global Fund has supported countries to adapt HIV, TB and malaria programs to continue during the pandemic, as well as purchase protective equipment, diagnostics and medical supplies, and to deploy prevention campaigns.  This year, Ireland has provided €17.5 million to the Global Fund.

GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, is working actively in the COVID-19 response in maintaining routine immunisation throughout the pandemic. GAVI’s work in market shaping, procurement, and equitable distribution of vaccines will be critical in ensuring that the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people have access to a COVID-19 vaccine.  Ireland this year pledged to increase its funding to GAVI over the next three years by 20%.

Working together with other actors including the WHO and CEPI (the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations), GAVI and the Global Fund have launched an Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT), a collaborative enterprise between a number of health actors to develop, produce and equitably distribute effective technologies in the COVID-19 global response - including the deployment, once available, of a vaccine against the coronavirus.  A key part of the ACT Accelerator is the COVAX Facility, a ground-breaking global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. COVAX is co-led by GAVI, CEPI and WHO, working in partnership with developed and developing country vaccine manufacturers. COVAX aims to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world.

UNESCO, the UN agency with a mandate in science, has reaffirmed the central importance of scientific information to make evidence-based choices to control the current outbreak, mitigate its impacts and prevent any future one. Consequently, UNESCO is currently developing a Recommendation on Open Science, through a global consultation with all relevant stakeholders.

Ireland recognises that a coherent and system-wide international response to COVID-19 is essential, given the interconnectedness of the current crisis. We will use our voice through our international development programme to advocate for this. In support of these international efforts, Government Departments and agencies here in Ireland (including Science Foundation Ireland, IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, the Health Research Board, the Irish Research Council and others), and the wider research and innovation community, are also working together to ensure a coordinated and meaningful contribution to the global response to COVID-19.

Ireland is working with key international development partners to maximise their respective roles and contribution, and combining their scientific expertise, to combat COVID-19.  At national level the Government has also brought together the research and science community to contribute to the global response.