June 21, 2024, SEOUL, Republic of Korea – At the Global Forum for Vaccine Sovereignty and Innovation, hosted at the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs yesterday, President Macron announced France’s membership to the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), an international organization with a mission to discover, develop, and deliver safe, effective, and affordable vaccines for global health.

Following the Forum, H.E. Dr. Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, Minister of State for Development and International Partnerships, and H.E. Anne-Claire Amprou, Ambassador for Global Health, delivered a letter requesting France’s accession to IVI to Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI.

Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI, said: “IVI welcomes President Macron’s announcement that France is joining IVI, and we look forward to working closely with the Government of France and our African member countries to accelerate vaccine production in Africa for Africa. We applaud President Macron’s acknowledgment of the critical global shortage of cholera vaccine and his commitment to invest in Biovac’s manufacturing capacity, IVI’s South African partner in oral cholera vaccine development and production.”

Dr. Jerome Kim and Dr. Anh Wartel, Deputy Director General and Director of IVI’s Europe Regional Office, attended this forum, co-organized by the African Union and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. It brought together heads of state, the private sector, civil society groups, and research institutes.

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

IVI’s current portfolio includes vaccines at 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 developed the world’s first low-cost oral cholera vaccine, pre-qualified by the World Health Organization (WHO), and a new-generation typhoid conjugate vaccine that achieved WHO prequalification in early 2024.

IVI is headquartered in Seoul, Republic of Korea, with a Europe Regional Office in Sweden, an Africa Regional Office in Rwanda, a Country Office in Austria, and a Country and Project Office in Kenya. IVI additionally co-founded the Hong Kong Jockey Club Global Health Institute in Hong Kong and hosts Collaborating Centers in Ghana, Ethiopia, and Madagascar. 42 countries and the WHO are members of IVI, and the governments of the Republic of Korea, Sweden, India, Finland, Austria, and Thailand provide state funding. For more information, please visit https://www.ivi.int.