Ethiopia, Norway, and the United Kingdom have jointly pledged US$240 million to support the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and its ambitious five-year strategy to combat future viral outbreaks.
The financial commitments—comprising continued financial backing from Ethiopia, US106 million (NOK 1 billion) from Norway, and up to US134 million (£100 million) from the UK—were officially announced during a CEPI side event at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81).
The funding is earmarked for CEPI 3.0, the coalition’s comprehensive 2027–2031 strategy designed to systematically reduce the frequency, impact, and economic devastation of epidemics and pandemics. The announcement arrives just ahead of the UN High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response, where world leaders are set to debate a unified political declaration aimed at safeguarding global health infrastructure.
Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, praised the coalition partners for their forward-thinking leadership.
“We now have the science to develop a vaccine against a new viral threat in a fraction of the time it once took, but being able to do so requires steady investment and shared responsibility to keep that capability ready and waiting,” Dr. Hatchett stated. “By backing CEPI 3.0, Ethiopia, Norway, and the UK are showing the kind of foresight and leadership that global health security depends on.”
The significance of collaborative international funding was echoed by regional leaders. Ethiopia’s Minister of Health, Dr. Mekdes Daba, emphasized that health security is a shared global responsibility that carries profound implications for the African continent.
“The ongoing Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a stark reminder that an outbreak anywhere on the continent, or anywhere in the world, is a threat everywhere,” Dr. Daba said. She noted that Ethiopia’s continued backing reflects a broader African resolve to bolster local research, manufacturing, and regulatory capacity, ensuring life-saving innovations are not only delivered to Africa, but increasingly developed there.
Norway’s Minister of International Development, Åsmund Aukrust, underscored that Norway’s contribution goes beyond vaccines, focusing instead on building a safer world through scientific collaboration and equitable access. Meanwhile, UK health and foreign development officials highlighted that investing in prevention aligns directly with national and global interests, reinforcing the landmark “100 Days Mission”—an initiative backed by G7 and G20 leaders to make safe diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines ready within 100 days of identifying a new pandemic threat.
Infectious disease outbreaks are rising in scale, frequency, and economic impact, with experts warning that future pandemics could trigger average global losses exceeding US$700 billion annually if left unchecked. Pathogens like Lassa, Nipah, Rift Valley fever, and as-yet-unknown viral threats (“Disease X”) pose escalating risks to human life.
To confront these challenges, CEPI 3.0 focuses on three core pillars: developing targeted vaccines for high-risk viral families, advancing rapid-response vaccine platforms adaptable to unknown threats, and strengthening global R&D and manufacturing networks.
The urgency of this mission is vividly highlighted by the current Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak in the DRC. CEPI mobilized resources within days to back five vaccine candidates in coordination with the World Health Organization and Africa CDC—a swift response made possible entirely by prior investments in rapid-response vaccine platforms.
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