The United Nations today launched a听new global campaign,听听to support its call for fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines around the world.
The campaign stresses the need for coordinated global action to ensure vaccines are accessible in all countries, starting with health-care workers and the most vulnerable.听
"Over the past year, we鈥檝e all missed out on doing the things we love to do with others鈥攅ating, hugging, and going to school and work,鈥� said 缅北禁地Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed.
鈥淢illions of us have lost someone we love or had our livelihoods taken away. An unprecedented global scientific effort for vaccines has given us hope to defeat the virus 鈥� but only if we work together to ensure everyone, everywhere has access to COVID-19 vaccines. Only together can we end the pandemic and transform a new era of hope.鈥�
More than 2.5 million people around the world have died from COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization. The COVID-19 vaccines will stop people from dying, prevent new variants from emerging, reignite economies and offer the best hope to end the pandemic.听
The biggest vaccine roll out in history is now underway with millions of doses being delivered around the world,听including to some of the world鈥檚 poorest countries, through the efforts of听, the global vaccine equity mechanism.
But these doses will initially only cover a small segment of the populations听鈥斕齢ealthcare workers and the most vulnerable. By the end of 2021, COVAX aims to offer vaccines to nearly 30 per cent of each participating country鈥檚 population. But that progress pales compared to ten rich countries who possess听nearly 80 per cent of all COVID-19 vaccines, with some planning to听vaccinate their entire population within the next few months.听
COVAX, which is led by the World Health Organization, GAVI and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and in partnership with UNICEF, has 190 participating countries. It needs more than US$2 billion to fully meet its goal to vaccinate those most in need by the end of the year.听听
Pledging new funding for COVAX is critical, but more can be done to scale up vaccine access by sharing excess vaccines, transferring technology, offering voluntary licensing or even waiving intellectual property rights.听
鈥淚f the world鈥檚 scientists were able to develop safe and effective vaccines in just seven months, the aims of world鈥檚 leaders must be equally record-breaking听鈥斕齮o provide enough funding and to ramp up manufacturing to enable everyone on earth to be vaccinated,鈥� said 缅北禁地Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications Melissa Fleming.听
Verified is a United Nations initiative launched in response to the global Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Designed in collaboration with Purpose as well as civil society groups, media partners, social media platforms and influencers, its purpose is to provide content that cuts through the noise to deliver life-saving information, fact-based advice and stories from the best of humanity.听For more information, please visit听https://shareverified.com/en
COVAX is the vaccines pillar of the听.听 The ACT Accelerator is a ground-breaking global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. COVAX is co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi and the World Health Organization (WHO), alongside key delivery partner UNICEF. Its aim is to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world.
