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UNDP HOSTS SIGNING CEREMONY AT UNITED NATIONS ESTABLISHING INTERNATIONAL VACCINE INSTITUTE IN SEOUL

NEW YORK, 28 October (UNDP) -- In a ceremony hosted by James Gustave Speth, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 12 Member States of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) came together today to be the initial signatories of an agreement to establish the International Vaccine Institute, a new independent international institution to be located in Seoul, Republic of Korea. Signing States included Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, Kazakstan, Mongolia, Netherlands, Panama, Republic of Korea, Romania, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam. As many as 15 other countries have indicated their desire to sign the agreement in the near future.

Designated as the Year of the Vaccine by the International Task Force on Child Survival and Development, 1996 marks the bicentennial of the development of the smallpox vaccine. It will also be remembered as the year in which the International Vaccine Institute was formally established.

In the opening ceremony, Mr. Speth said the Institute will fill a great need. "It will be the world's only international research centre devoted to vaccines for developing countries", Mr. Speth said, adding that it "should serve as a catalyst to ensure that the benefits generated by new technology will lead to healthier lives and livelihoods, especially for the poor".

The Institute will fill a large gap in international vaccine work. It will be the only global research centre devoted to improving the production and use of vaccines in developing countries. The Institute will also provide facilities and training programmes aimed at strengthening expertise and capacity in developing countries for vaccine-related work.

In June 1994, an independent committee recommended Seoul as the best location for the Institute. The committee also recommended that the Institute seek to promote cooperation and collaboration among centres of excellence in the vaccine-related sciences, particularly those located in Asia. The International Vaccine Institute will be the first United Nations-initiated

international organization to be hosted in the Republic of Korea. The Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea, Park Soo Gil, said that "the Government of the Republic of Korea is deeply committed to the success of the Institute, and has been working in close partnership with UNDP and WHO to ensure an auspicious start for the Institute".

The UNDP has guided the early development of the Institute. It named a Board of Trustees and set up an interim office for the Institute in Seoul. The UNDP's project management team has focused its initial efforts on institutional development and strategic planning, and on several priority activities, including the establishment of the Institute's Network Coordinating Group, linking centres of excellence in vaccine sciences and technologies and organizing training workshops on vaccine production and technology. The UNDP's project management team has also worked closely with the Government of the Republic of Korea on the design and planning for the Institute's permanent facilities.

The Republic of Korea will provide a fully-equipped 15,000 square metre state-of-the-art research and development facility for the Institute, and 30 per cent of its annual operating costs. An estimated 40 per cent of the budget is anticipated to come from contributions by individuals, corporations, foundations, multilateral agencies and donor countries, with the balance coming from research grants, fees and other sources. Eventually, the Institute could house as many as 200 full-time staff with a core of 50 senior scientists.

The Institute's headquarters is expected to be completed by the year 2000. In the meantime, the Institute operates out of interim offices provided by the Seoul National University. The facility will work closely with international organizations such as the WHO and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), with bilateral agencies and with vaccine producers throughout the world.

In the coming weeks, the Institute will be organizing a series of special events, including a scientific symposium on the theme "Vaccines for the 21st Century: Biotechnology and World Health", to be held in Seoul, on 14 November.

For further information call Sid Kane, UNDP, New York, tel: (212) 906-5324, e-mail: [email protected] and Gurinder Shahi, International Vaccine Institute, UNDP, Seoul, tel: (82-2) 880-8014, e-mail: [email protected].

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United Nations