Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 July 2020
452. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if Ireland has joined or plans to join the Covid-19 technology access pool initiative led by Costa Rica and the World Health Organization; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15916/20]
View answerIreland welcomes Costa Rica’s leadership on the Covid-19 Technology Access Pool. We note the leadership role of the EU and its Member States in drafting the Resolution, which recognises extensive immunisation against Covid-19 as a global public good for health, and in funding the Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. We share the objectives for the initiative to achieve a common outcome in public health for the benefit of all.
Ireland has championed coherence, and coordinated and collaborative responses to the global public health challenges which we currently face, with a focus on ensuring that the needs of poorest and most vulnerable are served by our collective effort. The proposal touches on the work of a number of Government Departments and other stakeholders. My Department is consulting with relevant stakeholders with a view to considering practical engagement which will evolve as the WHO releases further details of the initiative.
