CEPI and PAHO collaborate to boost regional preparedness against diseases with epidemic or pandemic potential – PAHO/WHO

February 6, 2024; Oslo, Norway; Washington DC, USA: The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen collaboration between the two organizations in their efforts to improve preparedness regional for epidemics and pandemics, and to support prevention and response to infectious diseases and greater equity in access to vaccines and other health technologies in the Americas.

The partnership will allow the two organizations to share knowledge, experience and expertise and strengthen support to Member States and partners in the Region in areas related to vaccine research and development and in the rapid deployment of vaccines against emerging infectious diseases.

Additionally, the organizations seek to further improve 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 the prevention, preparedness and response to epidemics and pandemics. CEPI and PAHO will continue to explore how best to leverage their respective knowledge and resources to achieve these shared objectives, identifying synergies to support projects of mutual interest without duplicating efforts or resources.

This new Memorandum of Understanding builds on previous fruitful collaborations over the years between CEPI and PAHO, including to encourage technology transfer to facilitate regional vaccine manufacturing and supply.

Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, saying, “CEPI is delighted to formalize this new relationship with PAHO. This partnership will allow both organizations to leverage each other’s strengths and help strengthen our defenses against emerging infectious diseases across the Americas. It is through global partnerships, like this one with PAHO, that we can forge a path toward a pandemic-free future, a future in which collaboration becomes the catalyst for stronger global health security.”

Jarbas Barbosa, Director of PAHO: “A key lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic is the need to guarantee more equitable access to vaccines and health technologies for the countries of 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 that countries are better prepared to manage current and future health emergencies.»

Notes to editors

About CEPI

CEPI was launched in 2017 as an innovative partnership between public, private, philanthropic and civic organizations. Its mission is to accelerate the development of vaccines and other biological countermeasures against epidemic and pandemic disease threats and enable equitable access to them. CEPI has supported the development of more than 50 vaccine candidates or platform technologies against multiple known high-risk pathogens and is also driving the development of rapid response platforms for vaccines against a future Disease fight the pandemic. 2022-2026 is the ‘100 Day Mission’ to reduce the time needed to develop safe, effective and globally accessible vaccines against new threats to just 100 days.

About PAHO

PAHO is the specialized health agency of the Inter-American System and acts as the Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Americas. Established in 1902, PAHO is the world’s oldest international health agency, working with countries in the region to improve and protect people’s health. The organization supports countries in the fight against communicable and non-communicable diseases and in responding to emergencies and disasters, and provides technical cooperation to strengthen health systems and ensure equitable access to health care.

Media contacts

CEPI
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OPS
Email: mediateam@paho.org
Telephone: +1(202)981-8455