DUBLIN, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Ireland on Monday pledged 18 million euros (nearly 20 million U.S. dollars) in support of a global effort to fight against COVID-19, according to a statement from the government.
The pledge was made by Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar earlier in the day while joining world leaders by video for the Coronavirus Global Response International Pledging Event co-hosted by the European Union, said the statement.
The funding pledged by the Irish government will go to GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, for helping its work in procuring vaccines and distributing them to the world's poorest and most vulnerable countries, including a vaccine for COVID-19 when it becomes available, it said.
GAVI is a public and private global partnership with the aim of helping vaccinate children around the world against deadly and infectious diseases.
The latest funding pledged by the Irish government has brought the total that Ireland has already committed to combat COVID-19 to 78 million euros, said the statement.
In a video message to Monday's event, Varadkar said: "The only way we can defeat a global threat is by working together on a multilateral basis. Working together we can develop an effective vaccine, effective treatments, testing systems that work, diagnostics and therapeutics. Ireland wants to play its part in this effort." (1 euro = 1.09 U.S. dollars) Enditem
