• At today’s Global Health Summit, hosted by the European Commission and Italy as chair of the G20, leaders pledged their support to the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC)

  • Italy committed EUR 300 million to the Gavi COVAX AMC, which will count towards COVAX’s goal of procuring 1.8 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses for lower-income economies in 2021.

  • In addition, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Switzerland – as part of Team Europe – pledged to share a combined total of over 100 million vaccine doses with middle- and low-income economies, boosting short term supplies.

Geneva, 21 May 2021 – The Global Health Summit, hosted by the European Commission and Italy as chair of the G20, saw governments announce support to the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), including a pledge of EUR 300 million from Italy. The commitment brings the total amount of funds raised for the  Gavi COVAX AMC, the funding mechanism to finance doses of COVID-19 vaccines for 92 lower-income economies within the COVAX Facility, to over US$ 7 billion.

In addition, Team Europe announced the largest dose sharing donation to date, with 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines going to lower-income economies with a majority of them through the COVAX AMC. Donors include France and Germany who stated they would be sharing 30 million surplus doses each and Italy who will be donating 15 million doses by the end of 2021.

This additional funding comes at a time when COVAX is looking to secure a total of US$8.3 billion from sovereign donors and the private sector for 2020-21 in order to accelerate access to 1.8 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses for lower-income economies. In addition, to support AMC eligible economies’ that want to buy additional doses through COVAX, a further US$1 billion is being sought from multilateral development banks to support a cost-sharing initiative.

The campaign will culminate at the virtual Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) Summit – One World Protected – Committed to Deliver on the 2nd June, which will be co-hosted by Japanese Prime Minister H.E. Yoshihide Suga together with José Manuel Barroso, Chair of the Gavi Board.

“COVAX has built the systems to deliver vaccines to low and lower middle income countries; we welcome the support of the G-20 countries to help us scale up volumes and reduce vaccine inequities.  Today’s funding, especially the very generous commitment from Italy and dose donation pledges demonstrate that global leadership understands that it’s time to unleash COVAX’s full potential to bring the acute phase of this pandemic to an end,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “Funding the AMC and sharing doses with COVAX are among the most effective interventions a country can make to control COVID-19 and we urge all governments to work with us in protecting people everywhere.”

Securing 1.8 billion doses would enable the Gavi COVAX AMC to protect nearly 30% of the population in 92 lower-income countries, or roughly half the adult population. The additional funds will also help diversify the portfolio in times of supply uncertainty; secure access to doses for delivery in 2021 and early 2022; and plan the scenarios and strategy to meet public health needs for 2022 and beyond.

A number of Sovereign states including France and Switzerland pledged support to COVAX, with further announcements to follow at the Gavi COVAX AMC Summit on June 2. This comes as part of a broader intent to donate additional funds to the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) for the global sharing of safe, effective, quality and affordable vaccine doses through the COVAX Facility. The Rome Declaration of principles, endorsed at the Summit, recognises the role of extensive COVID-19 immunisation as a global public good and underlines the importance of addressing the ACT-A funding gap in order to help it fulfil its mandate.

Notes to editors

More information on COVAX is available here.

About COVAX

COVAX, the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, is co-convened by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance Gavi) and the World Health Organization (WHO) – working in partnership with UNICEF as key implementing partner, developed and developing country vaccine manufacturers, the World Bank, and others. It is the only global initiative that is working with governments and manufacturers to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are available worldwide to both higher-income and lower-income countries.

About Gavi’s role in COVAX

Gavi is focused on procurement and delivery at scale for COVAX: coordinating the design, implementation and administration of the COVAX Facility and the COVAX AMC and working with its Alliance partners UNICEF and WHO, along with governments, on country readiness and delivery. As part of this role, Gavi hosts the Office of the COVAX Facility to coordinate and provide oversight on the operation of the mechanism as a whole and negotiates advance purchase agreements with manufacturers of promising vaccine candidates, on behalf of the 191 economies participating in the COVAX Facility. It also coordinates the operation of, and fundraises for, the COVAX AMC and its no-fault compensation mechanism. As part of this work, Gavi works closely with governments and partners on ensuring country readiness, and funds UNICEF procurement of vaccines as well as partners’ and governments work on readiness and delivery. This includes support for cold chain equipment, technical assistance, syringes, vehicles, and other aspects of the vastly complex logistical operation for delivery.

About Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunise a whole generation – over 822 million children – and prevented more than 14 million deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 73 lower-income countries. Gavi also plays a key role in improving global health security by supporting health systems as well as funding global stockpiles for Ebola, cholera, meningitis and yellow fever vaccines. After two decades of progress, Gavi is now focused on protecting the next generation and reaching the unvaccinated children still being left behind, employing innovative finance and the latest technology – from drones to biometrics – to save millions more lives, prevent outbreaks before they can spread and help countries on the road to self-sufficiency. Learn more at www.gavi.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners. View the full list of donor governments and other leading organizations that fund Gavi’s work here.

Media Contacts

Laura Shevlin
+ 41 79 529 92 87
lshevlin@gavi.org 

Iryna Mazur
+41 79 429 3671
imazur@gavi.org

Evan O’Connell
+33 6 17 57 21 26
eoconnell@gavi.org

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