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

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 as they strive to enhance regional epidemic and pandemic preparedness and to support infectious disease prevention and response and greater equity in access to vaccines and other health technologies in the Americas.

The partnership will enable the two organizations to share technical expertise, knowledge, and experience and to 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 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.

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

Richard Hatchett, Chief Executive Officer of CEPI, said, “CEPI is delighted to formalize 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 pandemicfree future, one where collaboration becomes the catalyst for stronger global health security.”

Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO Director: “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,” PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa said. “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.”