It was a promise kept during the Coronavirus Global Response pledging event prepared by the European Commission, the WHO, the pharmaceutical industry, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) and the GAVI Alliance (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation) on Monday 4 May (see EUROPE 12478/11).
Pledges of €7.4 billion, or $8 billion, have been made to develop, produce and distribute fairly an affordable vaccine, diagnostic tools and anti-Covid-19 treatments worldwide.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, was delighted at the end of a telethon she had initiated as part of the global response to the coronavirus, after committing to it at the G20 at the end of March. Of this amount, more than €4 billion will come from the EU, she said.
“It is a strong signal of solidarity and unity” she said, referring to the “launch of unprecedented cooperation” at the global level based on public/private partnerships.
She went on to say, “But it will take more. What awaits us is a marathon”. The next step will be to involve civil society, she said.
All participants said the same thing. According to them, “a vaccine for everyone, everywhere, at an affordable cost” is the only solution to finally draw a line under the pandemic, to “relegate the virus to the archives of history”, according to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
A vaccine, diagnostic and treatment tools are, in his opinion, “crucial challenges for Europe, but also for the countries most vulnerable to weak health systems in Africa”.
All called a future vaccine a “common good” and stressed the need to “leave no one behind”, using the terminology of the UN's 2030 agenda for sustainable development and reaffirming their faith in multilateralism.
France, Germany, Spain, Norway and Saudi Arabia (presidency of the G20, which pledged $500 million) co-chaired the event.
The French President, Emmanuel Macron, announced €500 million in support of the Global Action Accelerator, an initiative launched on 24 April (see EUROPE 12474/7). German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged an additional €525 million, saying that in total, Germany was contributing "€1.3 billion", including support for GAVI, strengthening health systems in southern countries and scaling up humanitarian aid.
She recalled that “malaria in African countries hits more than Covid-19”. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose country is the largest donor to CEPI (£744 million for the global response, including £388 million for vital research on all three strands - vaccines, diagnostics, treatments), announced that he will host a conference on 4 June as part of GAVI.
The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced €125 million (including €50 million for GAVI and €100 million already pledged to the Global Fund).
The President of the Italian Council, Giuseppe Conte, whose country will hold the next presidency of the G20, has pledged €140 million euros, including €10 million for CEPI and vaccine research, €10 million to the WHO for aid to the most vulnerable countries and for the Global Covid-19 Fund, and €120 million over five years for GAVI.
The Visegrad Group countries collectively pledged €3 million (€750,000 each).
On behalf of the EIB, its President, Werner Hoyer, made an initial pledge of €141 million from the Bank's own resources.
The African Union pledged €1.2 million. Cyril Ramaphosa, current chairman of the AU, made a point of specifying that the pan-African organisation has mobilised $61 million for the Covid-19 Response Fund that it has set up for the African continent.
The Gates Foundation, represented by Melinda Gates, pledged $100 million. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)