Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and his counterparts from the Group of Twenty (G20) are aiming to vaccinate at least 40 percent of the world against COVID-19 by the end of the year.
The target was announced at the G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting, held from Sunday (Sep 5) to Monday in Rome.
In a press release on Monday, Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) said the meeting had also adopted a Health Ministers’ Declaration emphasizing the importance of strong multilateral collaboration in managing the COVID-19 pandemic and supporting global recovery, with the World Health Organization (WHO) taking a central and leading role. The health ministers also agreed that vaccination was key.
The declaration recognized the wide-ranging impact of COVID-19, including on mental health and on progress in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which address global challenges including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice.
The declaration also underscored the need to continue joint efforts to better prevent, detect and respond to future global health risks and emergencies, said MOH.
Singapore attended the meeting as a guest country at the invitation of Italy, the current G20 presidency.
“There is a (palpable) sense of resilience amongst all the health ministers,” said Mr. Ong in a Facebook post on Monday.
“This is one of those rare international meetings where a united purpose is forged by a common challenge.”
