Save the Children – ‘COVAX pledges welcome, but urgent work still needed to make access truly global’

Toronto, 2 June – We welcome pledges totalling US$2.4 billion at today’s One World Protected AMC replenishment summit – bringing total pledges to the COVAX AMC to US$ 9.6 billion. This was alongside commitments re-distribute 54 million vaccine doses. This is an important step towards ensuring all countries have access to COVID-19 vaccines, so they can protect their most vulnerable and at-risk populations.

But there is still urgent work to be done to ensure that vaccination coverage will be truly global – it’s the only way to help bring an end to this pandemic. Right now, millions of children are still out of school, and run the risk of being forced to work or marry, as schools can’t open because of the pandemic. Vaccines are vital, not just to save lives but also to help make societies safe again.

Save the Children was pleased to see the Government of Canada pledge CAD $220 million to COVAX at the conference. Although Canada has been generous in terms of financial commitments there is an urgent need for Canada to outline its plans for dose sharing. A Call to Action, endorsed by over 30 civil society groups, was released today urging the Canadian government to make strong dose sharing commitments ahead of the G7 meetings next week.

With the G7 only days away, wealthier governments now have a unique opportunity to take urgent and ambitious action to ensure we have the funds and systems in place to make this a reality. Only then can we truly reset the trajectory towards a more equitable response.

We call on government to fully fund the ACT-A, urgently share a part of their vaccine doses with COVAX and help a global vaccine supply by supporting the sharing of patents, technology and expertise through the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP).

ENDS