Dr. Al Rabeeah Affirms the Kingdom's Readiness to Become a Regional Hub for the Production of COVID-19 Vaccines to Support the Global Supply Chain for Countries in Need

The Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, participated today in a G20 Ministerial Event cohosted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the World Food Programme (WFP) at the UN Headquarters in Brindisi, Italy. The title of the event is "The role of logistics in preparedness and response for the COVID-19 pandemic and future humanitarian and health crises".
The purpose of the conference was to shed light on the economic and humanitarian effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the humanitarian aid supply chain, and to exchange ideas on ways to ensure the sustainability and resilience of that supply chain against future outbreaks of both health- and non-health-related crises.
In his remarks at the gathering, Dr. Al Rabeeah stated that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was uniquely equipped and ready to be a regional hub for the production of COVID-19 vaccines and other medicines and supplies, as well as for logistics activities. He noted that many countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa are still suffering from high rates of COVID-19 spread, and that glaring inequities in vaccine supply meant that sufficient vaccine supplies have reached very few countries worldwide.
Dr. Al Rabeeah stated further that "in order to ensure that global COVID-19 response is streamlined to protect as many lives as possible, we must work together", stressing that the need for closer coordination among members of the international community was essential in all aspects of health care, humanitarian and development programs and logistics.
"As we are all aware," the Supervisor General added, "the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 created unforeseen challenges around the world. The toll this global health emergency has taken on economies, health systems, education, governance and social structures has been devastating, particularly for the most vulnerable groups, such as children, women, the elderly, and those suffering from hunger, conflicts and natural disasters." He also remarked on "the sad reality that most (countries) are still suffering from high rates of spread, hospitalizations and deaths" and stressed that "increasing the access of all countries to vaccines is key to achieving global control over COVID-19...learning from the lessons (of COVID-19) is essential (when planning to address) future outbreaks."
"Saudi Arabia strongly encourages regionalization of pertinent industries – particularly in the Middle East, Africa and Asia," Dr. Al Rabeeah stated. "Regional production of COVID-19 vaccines and other medicines and supplies would not only provide more vaccine availability, but would also create job opportunities and boost the ability of regional health care systems to control their own vaccine distribution and delivery. This approach would apply not only to vaccines and treatment medications, but also to all other necessary equipment and supplies, such as PPE for hospital staff and the general public, ventilators, medical gases, etc." In this regard, Dr. Al Rabeeah emphasized that the Kingdom was uniquely equipped to become such a regional hub, and that other countries could be identified to serve their surrounding populations.
The Supervisor General added that since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had invested a total of USD 713 million to support the global fight against COVID-19, including donations to Gavi, the COVAX Facility and CEPI. "KSrelief has also delivered bilateral assistance to a number of countries, including Yemen, Syria and Sudan, and aid to others via third-country delivery points."
Dr. Al Rabeeah also highlighted the Kingdom's ongoing support for refugee communities worldwide, including extensive pandemic assistance to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan, and a number of other refugee groups with concentrations in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Over the past three decades, Saudi Arabia has provided USD 17 billion in support for refugees both internationally and for those living in Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Al Rabeeah stressed that "unless all of us are safe, none of us are safe", adding that this truth applies "to all future disease outbreaks that occur anywhere in the world." He called for the vital need "for all countries to contribute financially to global solutions for global pandemics, because no country is immune to the threat of future diseases such as COVID-19."
"We must find ways," he added, "to increase the donor base for developing reliable, effective pandemic preparedness and logistics systems, and Saudi Arabia can be a potential hub for such activities."
In his conclusion, Dr. Al Rabeeah stated that he was looking forward to the discussions that would take place during the event, and to addressing the results at the G20 Summit on 30-31 October 2021.