Bill Gates, South Korea expand global health partnership

SEOUL, Aug 16 (Reuters) – South Korea agreed on Tuesday to broaden its world well being partnership with the inspiration arrange by Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) co-founder and philanthropist Invoice Gates.

The deal got here after Gates arrived in South Korea late on Monday, calling for Seoul to play an even bigger function in world well being and to extend help.

The settlement consists of strengthening personal and public sector cooperation between the Invoice & Melinda Gates Basis and South Korea in initiatives corresponding to a worldwide well being analysis fund, and stepping up cooperation with well being organisations together with CEPI, South Korea’s overseas and well being ministries stated in a press release.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Improvements (CEPI) works with public, personal, philanthropic and civil society organisations to develop vaccines towards future epidemics.

South Korea may even assist to coach 370 folks from lower-income international locations in vaccine manufacturing this yr, which can be expanded to 2,000 folks per yr beginning 2026, the ministries stated.

“This can be a disaster second for world well being. That is additionally a improbable time for our basis to strengthen partnership with Korea, offering nice concepts for brand new instruments and extra assets to assist these in want,” Gates stated in a speech on the Nationwide Meeting earlier on Tuesday.

Whereas assembly with South Korean Nationwide Meeting Speaker Kim Jin-pyo and different lawmakers, Gates referred to as for growing funding for teams that assist enhance well being situations in poor international locations and stop pandemics, and requested if South Korea would have the ability to scale up its worldwide help to 0.3% of GDP.

Gates then met President Yoon Suk-yeol, who stated the South Korean authorities wished a cooperative relationship with Gates’ basis to foster high-quality bio-health applied sciences.

Gates additionally met with leaders at SK Bioscience (302440.KS) which obtained $10 million in funding from CEPI to develop its COVID-19 vaccine.

(This story corrects Nationwide Meeting’s official correction of the determine of help to 0.3% of GDP, not 1.3%, in paragraph 7)

Reporting by Joori Roh and Joyce Lee, Extra reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Enhancing by Jacqueline Wong and Mark Potter

Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Belief Ideas.