21 March 2023, Seoul. Philippine Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Theresa Dizon-De Vega was honored to announce the Philippine government's voluntary contribution of USD20,000 to the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) fund for 2023. The announcement was made on the occasion of the Inauguration Ceremony of H.E. First Lady Kim Keonhee as the 5th Honorary President of the Korea Support Committee for IVI on 09 March 2023 at the IVI Seoul headquarters. Ambassador Dizon-De Vega likewise expressed profound congratulations to Madam First Lady Kim and the IVI.

A brief but meaningful commemorative ceremony for the funding contribution was held before the Vaccine Diplomacy Day activity where Ambassador Dizon-De Vega and IVI Director General Jerome H. Kim discussed the voluntary contribution and affirmed cooperation on future projects. The turnover was witnessed by Third Secretary and Vice Consul Reisha Olavario from the Philippine Embassy and Ms. YoungMi Choi, Head of IVI's Global Affairs team.

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega said that "with this modest funding commitment, the Philippines looks forward to supporting IVI's recent efforts in infectious disease research and vaccine research and development, helping create a platform for dialogue and future collaboration, and continuing our close relationship with the IVI as a State Party in the years to come."

In response, IVI Director General Dr. Jerome Kim said that "we are grateful to the Government of the Republic of the Philippines for its continued trust in and support of IVI and our work to research and develop vaccines against infectious diseases that affect the world's most vulnerable populations. As a founding signatory and State Party of IVI since 2004, the Philippines has been a valuable collaborator in vaccine clinical development projects and disease burden studies to protect and save millions of lives at risk of poverty-associated diseases such as typhoid fever, dengue, cholera, and tuberculosis."

The Philippines is State-party to the International Vaccine Institute, a non-profit international organization established in 1997 at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with a mission to discover, develop, and deliver safe, effective, and affordable vaccines for global health. END