His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, affirmed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's support to the noble work of the Global Alliance, and its efforts in protecting lives and reducing the risks of future epidemics and their health impact and social disruption. "Now, more than ever, we must remain united and abide by our responsibilities to address our shared challenges," His Highness said. This came during the participation of His Highness today in the virtual Global Vaccine Summit, organized by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi) and hosted by the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson with the participation of a number of heads of state and ministers and health sector officials around the globe. At the beginning of his speech, His Highness thanked the Government of the United Kingdom and Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson for hosting the third Global Vaccines and Immunization Summit. His Highness stated that the Kingdom had previously contributed in 2016 in the amount of 25 million US dollars to support the efforts of GAVI and its mission. The Minister also reiterated King Salman bin Abdulaziz's statements in the G20 virtual summit and said that preserving human health is "at the forefront of the concerns of the Kingdom's government" and has been made a priority. His Highness also indicated that based on its Islamic and humanitarian values, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has provided over eighty-six (86) billion US dollars in aid throughout the last three decades. These funds provided support to over eighty-one (81) countries to assist them in improving livelihood and healthcare. He added: "In March of this year, Saudi Arabia called for an Extraordinary Virtual Leader's Summit of the G20, chaired by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, to coordinate an international response to combat the spread of COVID-19, and address its humanitarian and economic effects. During this Summit, Saudi Arabia announced a contribution of five hundred (500) million US dollars in support of the global efforts to prevent the spread of the virus and enhance preparedness and emergency response. Of this amount, I am pleased to announce the allocation of 150 million US dollars to vaccines and immunizations, which will support the great efforts of your alliance." In his closing speech, His Highness stressed that it is a collective international duty to contribute and support the noble cause of preserving and protecting human life to achieve stability and prosperity for future generations.
