India will sign an agreement in the field of vaccine research with the International Institute of Vaccine (IVI) in Korea, Government said.
Approval to signing of the agreement was given by the U nion Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The Seoul-based Institute is an autonomous organisation, set up at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme under the Vienna Convention of 1969.
IVI is an international centre of research, training and technical assistance for vaccine production in developing countries.
“The Agreement will encourage cooperation between India and the IVI. By the agreement, India could offer a place on Board of Trustees and would be able to play a role in formulation of international policy related to vaccines,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi told reporters here.
He said the signing of the Agreement will not imply any financial implication for India, but would “give opportunities for inputs to the direction and priorities of IVI, which would be beneficial to India”.
The IVI Establishment Agreement as of March 2002 has been signed by over 30 countries, including Republic of Korea, China, Brazil, Egypt, Pakistan, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Bangaldesh, Bhutan, Ecuador, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Nepal, Oman, Panama Papua, New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Senegal, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and World Health Organisation (WHO).