Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 May 2021
394. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the amount of vaccines that the EU plans to give to Palestine given the extended state of emergency in Palestine to prevent the spread of new variants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24396/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am deeply concerned by the impact of COVID-19 on the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) and our partner countries elsewhere in the world and welcome all efforts to advance equitable access to vaccines.
Ireland is playing its full part as member of the global health community to ensure fair access to vaccines for all and is a member of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator global initiative, which works to harmonise the global vaccine rollout. A critical pillar of this initiative, COVAX, aims to deliver 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 92 low and middle-income countries, including the oPt, by the end of 2021. COVAX has also negotiated options on a further 1 billion doses.
In March, the EU announced it would double its funding to COVAX from €500 million to €1 billion. When taken with the commitments of individual Member States, this brings the entire EU pledge to COVAX to €2.5 billion. Work is also underway in Brussels on a possible common EU-wide vaccine sharing mechanism, which would reinforce COVAX by permitting Member States to donate excess vaccine doses to the facility. Ireland is convinced of the ethical obligation to share surplus vaccines with vulnerable populations in other countries.
In addition to our contribution to these efforts, Ireland has budgeted €50 million for global public health in 2021, which will help strengthen health systems in developing countries, including in the fight against COVID-19. This investment on our part includes €5 million in support of the global vaccination effort: €4 million to COVAX for vaccine procurement and distribution and €1 million to support the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) role in ensuring fairness and transparency.
In February 2021, COVAX confirmed that the occupied Palestinian territory was a priority participant in its programme. The first COVAX shipment, containing 61,440 doses, was received in March, with deliveries in the first and second quarters of the year projected at 308,000 doses. To date, more than 253,000 people (217,441 in the West Bank and 36,496 in Gaza) have been vaccinated with supplies from COVAX and other sources.
This pandemic has served as a stark reminder of our interdependence and the need for a coherent and aligned international response to global emergencies of this type. Ireland will continue to engage on these issues through the EU and in our relationships with the WHO and Gavi (the Global Vaccine Alliance), as well as our upcoming membership of the Board of the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria.
