image: During its 25th anniversary celebration, IVI honored 4 key figures in the establishment of IVI with the IVI Founders Medal. From left to right: George Bickerstaff (President of the IVI BOT), Prof. Seung Il Shin (winner), Prof. Barry Bloom (winner), Prof. Wan Kyoo Cho (winner), Prof. Sang-Dai Park (winner), Dr Jérôme Kim (Director General of the IVI).
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October 21, 2022, SEOUL, Republic of Korea — The International Vaccine Institute (IVI), an international organization whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver safe, effective and affordable vaccines for global health, held its annual State Forum in Seoul yesterday, bringing together representatives States Parties to the IVI and other partner countries. This year’s forum focused on forming its World Council, a new advisory body made up of representatives of States Parties to encourage a more inclusive and responsive governance structure at the IVI.
The Global Board will be a platform for IVI States Parties and other key stakeholders to discuss needs and solutions for vaccine R&D and implementation, equity and access to vaccines , and capacity building at global, regional and national levels. The council is expected to be officially launched in 2023 and two elected members from non-donor state parties will hold seats on the IVI board.
Dr Jerome Kim, CEO of the IVI, said“We are grateful to the representatives of the IVI States Parties for expressing their support and enthusiasm for the creation of an IVI World Council. As IVI grows to the stature of a truly international organization, the Global Board and new Global Expert Advisory Group will help IVI expand its size, reach and geographic footprint in a responsible and sustainable way. .
During the State Forum, Dr. Kim also advocated for the addition of leptospirosis to the World Health Organization’s list of neglected tropical diseases. He said: “Adding leptospirosis to the WHO list of NTDs will bring more awareness and action to a seriously underrecognized infectious disease with a significant global burden. The IVI strongly encourages representatives of its States Parties to mobilize around this issue at the World Health Assembly next year.
After the State Forum, IVI hosted a celebratory dinner in recognition of its 25th anniversary. Since its founding in 1997 as an international organization at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme, IVI has developed two safe, effective and affordable vaccines against cholera and typhoid for global public use. With 22 countries and the WHO as members of its treaty, IVI is currently conducting research collaborations in 44 countries around the world with candidate vaccines for 9 different infectious diseases in clinical trials.
More than 130 stakeholders from the Korean government, including Dr. Hyun Young Shin, Member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, industry, academia and the diplomatic community, attended the celebratory dinner, and IVI honored four key figures in the establishment of IVI with the inaugural IVI Founders Medal ceremony:
- Teacher. Wan Kyoo Cho, former president of Seoul National University and executive advisor of the Korea Support Committee for IVI
- Teacher. Barry Bloom, former Dean of Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Founding Chairman of IVI
- Teacher. Sang-Dai Park, Professor Emeritus of Seoul National University and Senior Advisor to the Korea Support Committee for the IVI
- Teacher. Seung Il Shin, Advisor to the Korean Support Committee for the IVI
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About the International Vaccine Institute (IVI)
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is an international non-profit organization established in 1997 at the initiative of the United Nations Development Program with the mission to discover, develop and provide safe, effective and affordable vaccines for health world.
IVI’s current portfolio includes vaccines in all stages of preclinical and clinical development for infectious diseases that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries, such as cholera, typhoid, chikungunya, shigella, salmonella, schistosomiasis, hepatitis E, HPV, COVID-19, and more. IVI has developed the world’s first low-cost oral cholera vaccine, prequalified by the World Health Organization (WHO), and has developed a next-generation typhoid conjugate vaccine that is currently under evaluation for the WHO PQ.
IVI is headquartered in Seoul, Republic of Korea, with a European regional office in Sweden and collaborating centers in Ghana, Ethiopia and Madagascar. 39 countries and the WHO are members of the IVI, and the governments of the Republic of Korea, Sweden, India and Finland provide public funding. For more information, please visit https://www.ivi.int.
CONTACT
Aerie Em, global communications and media specialist
+82 2 881 1386 | aerie.em@ivi.int
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