Australia’s contributions to CEPI
CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, was established in 2017 in the wake of west African Ebola epidemic. It is a global effort that brings together public, private, philanthropic, and civil society organisations to develop vaccines for epidemics. Its works is focused on three strategic areas: preparedness, response and sustainability. CEPI was one of the first organisations to start developing COVID-19 vaccines in early 2020, and it co-led the COVAX facility with Gavi and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
CEPI’s first strategic five-year plan went from 2017 to 2021. Australia contributed US$10 million (AU$12 million) for this period, or only about 0.4% of US$2.33 billion committed by government donors (including EU). It ranked 13th among bilateral government donors (not including EU).
In CEPI’s latest replenishment for the period from 2022 to 2026, it has sought to raise US$3.5 billion to speed up vaccine development, strengthen health systems and support global collaboration. As of March 18 2024, CEPI has received US$2 billion of total contributions and pledges towards this target, with US$1.65 billion of that contributed by government donors (including EU).
For this period, Australia has pledged US$74 million (AU$100 million) and is placed at 8th among bilateral government donors. Half of this commitment is ODA-eligible.
