Assistance Offered to Other Countries to Deal with COVID-19

5 Miss Cheng Li Hui asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) what is the specific assistance that Singapore has offered to other countries to deal with COVID-19; and (b) how has Singapore assisted India as it confronts its latest wave of the pandemic.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: It has been more than a year since the first known cases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, despite important progress such as the rapid development of several vaccines, we are seeing the emergence of new variants of the COVID-19 virus, and renewed waves of cases and deaths being reported across the globe. As I have mentioned previously, this is a virus that does not discriminate across language, race, religion, or borders. Multilateralism and international cooperation are, therefore, vital elements in our response to the pandemic, since no one is safe until everyone is safe.

During the Committee of Supply Debate on 1 March 2021, I explained that no matter how well we control the pandemic within our borders, life cannot resume and get back to the status quo unless the rest of the world is also made safer. This is why Singapore was an early supporter of the COVAX Facility, which is the flagship global mechanism to facilitate access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries. We founded, and we co-chair the informal Friends of the COVAX Facility (FOF), a 15-member group, to catalyse discussions on the operationalisation of the COVAX Facility. COVAX’s primary value is in ensuring that subsidised vaccines will be allocated to 92 low and lower-middle income countries. Singapore has contributed US$5 million to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) towards this purpose. In less than three months, the COVAX Facility has delivered more than 49 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to over 120 countries. The world would be collectively worse off without COVAX.

To support regional efforts to combat the virus, Singapore has contributed US$100,000 to the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund. The Fund will be used to procure medical equipment and other supplies for frontline response and preventative measures, as well as to finance long-term research and development of COVID-19 treatments and vaccines. Notably, with further contributions from ASEAN Dialogue Partners, US$10.5 million of this Fund will also be used for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines for ASEAN Member States and the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta.

In addition, our role as a transit hub has enabled us to help repatriate other countries’ nationals, even as commercial flight connections are affected by global travel restrictions. As a result, many were able to go home and be reunited with their families and loved ones. In turn, Singaporeans have also benefited from similar assistance provided by our friends around the world.

We also offered what we can to our neighbours and partners around the world while taking care of our domestic needs. Singapore has provided critical medical supplies such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machines, diagnostic test kits, personal protective equipment (PPE), oximeters, surgical masks, hand sanitisers, thermometers and oxygen-related supplies to our friends in the region including Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, China and India, as well as those further away like Fiji, Palau, Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda. We are also planning to donate medical supplies to countries in Latin America, such as Brazil, Mexico, Peru and Ecuador. Looking ahead, Singapore will continue to assist countries in need within our means during this challenging time.

The Singapore Government’s international assistance during this pandemic has also served as a catalyst for wider efforts within our community. We have witnessed a wide range of contributions from private sector entities and philanthropic organisations in Singapore. The Singapore Government had provided seed funding to the Singapore Red Cross Society (SRC)’s fundraising effort for humanitarian assistance to affected communities in China. This fundraising drive raised more than S$6 million. The SRC has also coordinated the supply of medical aid worth S$900,000 to other countries. In addition, the Temasek Foundation has to date donated diagnostic test kits, oxygen concentrators, and BiPAP machines to over 30 countries around the world.

Singapore’s contributions to India have been addressed by the Written Answer to Question No 8 given on 10 May 2021.