New Delhi: Extending India’s role in the Indo-Pacific region and global policy outlook, at the QUAD workshop for Pandemic preparedness, the government has committed to contribute $12 million to the global pandemic fund aimed at preventing and managing future pandemics across the world.
Speaking at the Pandemic preparedness workshop for the Indo-Pacific region, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel said that, in line with our commitment to global action, India has contributed $10 million towards the establishment of the Pandemic Fund which was specially conceptualized for fighting pandemics.
“India has further pledged an additional $12 million to support its sustained functioning. This underscores India’s dedication to strengthening global pandemic preparedness and response efforts through collaborative and inclusive financial mechanisms,” the Minister extended.
In her address, the minister said that, “the world has endured COVID-19 as the most devastating pandemic of this century, highlighting the urgent need for collaborative pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response at a global level.”
Additionally, the rise of emerging and re-emerging health threats in recent times underscores the critical necessity of strengthened preparedness, enhanced surveillance, and well-coordinated international response mechanisms to safeguard global health security, she added.
Under the umbrella of the World Bank, a global pandemic fund has been created for dedicated resources for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, incentivising countries to increase investments, enhance coordination among partners, and serve as a platform for advocacy.
Since its inception in 2023, it has received total contributions of more than $2 billion, where US is the largest contributor with a total contribution of 700 million, followed by EU and Germany which have contributed more than $465 and $175 million respectively.