The European Commission and its public and private partners continue to mobilise the funds needed to accelerate the research, production and worldwide deployment of a vaccine, treatments and diagnostic tools against the new coronavirus "accessible to all at an affordable cost".
The €9.5 billion in pledges made since the first pledging marathon on 4 May are encouraging (see EUROPE 12493/10), but not enough, Ms von der Leyen stressed in a video message on Thursday 28 May, announcing the next steps.
On 4 June, the United Kingdom will host the Global Immunization Conference with a view to replenishing the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) with US$7.4 billion "to enable GAVI to continue its work immunizing children in developing countries", said the President of the Commission (see EUROPE 12479/1).
On the same day, she announced the launch of a new four-week campaign to mobilise citizens on the theme 'Global Goal: Unite for Our Future', which will culminate in a Global Pledging Summit on Saturday 27 June.
Ms von der Leyen will chair this summit. Fifteen governments - the same as at the 4 May pledging marathon - announced their participation: the United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Saudi Arabia (current G20 presidency), Morocco, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa. Others may join.
The campaign is organised by the Global Citizen movement under the sponsorship of the European Commission, with the support of WHO and in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Wellcome Trust. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)