Rwanda has been welcomed as member state of the International Vaccine Institute, an organization which aims to discover, develop, and deliver safe, effective, and affordable vaccines for global health. It was marked by hoisting of the Rwandan flag by Yasmin D. Amri Sued, the Rwandan Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, followed by a hybrid accession ceremony. In his remarks, Dr Daniel Ngamije, Minister of Health, explained that the application to join IVI was based on the shared aspiration towards the institute’s s mission. “Global collaboration, vaccine availability and equity, as well as strong vaccination campaigns are key to ending the pandemic while preserving effective routine immunization programs across all continents,” he said. Adding that to reach that goal, “there is a need to support each country to invest in human capacity, health systems, and infrastructure. The support of partners such as Gavi, UNICEF, IVI, and others will enable us to reach that goal.” George Bickerstaff, Board chair, IVI, said “We’re proud to share ambitious—and imperative—health goals with the government of Rwanda. IVI’s priority disease areas are characterized by their associations with poverty and inequity, and as outlined in the Kigali Declaration,” “We firmly believe that eradicating vaccine-preventable infectious diseases such as Neglected Tropical Diseases will help achieve the SDGs.” Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI noted: “We are delighted to have the support of the government of Rwanda as IVI forges deeper partnerships across Africa and Europe, and very much look forward to identifying areas of collaboration across infectious disease research, vaccine development, and pandemic response.” Dr. Leon Mutesa, Director of the Center for Human Genetics at the University of Rwanda, is the representative of Rwanda currently holding a seat on IVI’s Board of Trustees, representing Rwanda and the interests of IVI’s non-funding member states. Rwanda joins 38 other countries and the World Health Organization as member states of IVI.
