The UK has pledged to provide 415,000 doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to Cambodia through a bilateral agreement to help the country fight the pandemic, according to the UK embassy in Phnom Penh.

The embassy said shipment starts this week and the vaccines are expected to touch down in Phnom Penh soon. It is part of the four million doses the UK has pledged in bilateral agreement with many countries around the world this week.

“The UK is sending 415,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Cambodia as part of the first batch of the 100 million doses we’ve pledged, to get the poorest parts of the world vaccinated as a matter of urgency. We’re doing this to help the most vulnerable, but also because we know we won’t be safe until everyone is safe,” said Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in a press statement.

The UK also provides another five million doses to other countries this week through the World Health Organisation-lex’s Covax Facility.

“These 415,000 AstraZeneca vaccines will support local communities in Cambodia to restart businesses, protect health services and restore livelihoods. I’m delighted the UK is fulfilling its commitment to donate vaccines across the world both bilaterally, as in this case, and through COVAX including here in Cambodia,” said British ambassador to Cambodia Tina Redshaw.