国际英语新闻:Singapore's PM calls for affordable access to vaccines, better global disease surveillance

SINGAPORE, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has put forward two suggestions on what G20 countries could do together at the G20 summit on Saturday, the Straits Times report on Sunday.

The first suggestion is to ensure affordable and equitable access to vaccines. Lee said that he was glad the G20 had advanced vaccine multilateralism by backing global initiatives such as the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator and the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility.

He also said that Singapore will continue to work closely with the WHO and Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to accelerate vaccine development and enhance long-term pandemic preparedness.

The second suggestion is to strengthen global disease surveillance networks so that the world will be better prepared for the next pandemic.

Lee said that the effectiveness of such networks depends on countries investing in their domestic surveillance and response capabilities as well as on their willingness to share information with one another.

Besides, he said that Singapore stands ready to support the G20 in its endeavors to reinvigorate multilateralism, and to create a fair, predictable and stable international order, which will allow every country, big and small, to grow and prosper.

Singapore is an invited guest country to the G20 summit this year.