• As part of its pledge to deliver 15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, the first doses donated by Italy have been delivered to Iraq, with more shipping to additional countries in the coming days.

  • Prof. Mario Draghi, President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic: “We must make sure that vaccines are more available to poorer countries. Our priority must be to ensure that we all overcome the current pandemic together. We must vaccinate the world – and do it fast.”

  • Dr Seth Berkley, CEO, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: “Italy was one of the first donors to the Gavi COVAX AMC, having contributed USD 470 million in total funding. This dose donation cements Italian leadership in supporting global equitable access, which it also supports through the work of Italy’s G20 Presidency. We are grateful to Italy and the Italian people for their commitment to ending the acute stage of the pandemic through the conversion of dose-sharing pledges into deliveries.”

Geneva, 13 September 2021 – The first deliveries from a pledge of 15 million doses to be donated to COVAX by Italy have arrived, with 100,800 doses of the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine to Iraq, and more shipping to additional countries in the coming days. Italy is donating doses to COVAX on top of the USD 470 million it has pledged to the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (Gavi COVAX AMC).

Italy has contributed to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance since 2006 when it became a founding member of IFFIm and its third largest contributor. A key focus of its development strategy is to contribute to global health by strengthening the fight against inequalities in terms of the right to health. In May this year, as chair of the G20, Italy recently hosted The Global Health Summit alongside the European Commission, which saw seven European countries pledge to share over 100 million vaccine doses with middle- and low-income economies, boosting short term supplies.

This donation by Italy allows COVAX to deliver more vaccines in the third quarter of this year, before supply from COVAX purchase agreements increases in Q4, meaning that more people will be able to access vaccines now, at a time when variants are a major threat to global health and stability.

“We must make sure that vaccines are more available to poorer countries” stressed Prof. Mario Draghi, President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic. “Our priority must be to ensure that we all overcome the current pandemic together. We must vaccinate the world – and do it fast.”

“Italy was one of the first donors to the Gavi COVAX AMC, having contributed USD 470 million in total funding. This dose donation cements Italian leadership in supporting global equitable access, which it also supports through the work of Italy’s G20 Presidency,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which leads on procurement and delivery at scale for COVAX. “We are grateful to Italy and the Italian people for their commitment to ending the acute stage of the pandemic through the conversion of dose-sharing pledges into deliveries.”

These doses donated by Italy are produced by the AstraZeneca manufacturing network. Donating through COVAX helps to increase vaccine coverage, ensures that no dose goes to waste, and helps to bring an end to the acute phase of the pandemic. The design and operationalization of the COVAX dose sharing mechanism is being supported by a contribution of CAD 5 million from Canada.

Notes to editors

About COVAX

COVAX, the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator , is co-led by CEPI, Gavi and WHO – working in partnership with developed and developing country vaccine manufacturers, UNICEF, PAHO, 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 high-income and lower-income countries.

Gavi’s role in COVAX

Gavi leads on procurement and delivery at scale for COVAX: designing and managing the COVAX Facility and the Gavi COVAX AMC and working with its traditional 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 the operation and governance of the mechanism as a whole, holds financial and legal relationships with 193 Facility participants, and manages the COVAX Facility deals portfolio: negotiating advance purchase agreements with manufacturers of promising vaccine candidates to secure doses on behalf of all COVAX Facility participants. Gavi also coordinates design, operationalisation and fundraising for the Gavi COVAX AMC, the mechanism that provides access to donor-funded doses of vaccine to 92 lower-income economies. As part of this work, Gavi provides funding and oversight for UNICEF procurement and delivery of vaccines to all AMC participants – operationalising the advance purchase agreements between Gavi and manufacturers – as well as support for partners’ and governments work on readiness and delivery. This includes tailored support to governments, UNICEF, WHO and other partners for cold chain equipment, technical assistance, syringes, vehicles, and other aspects of the vastly complex logistical operation for delivery. Gavi also co-designed, raises funds for and supports the operationalisation of the AMC’s no-fault compensation mechanism as well as the COVAX Humanitarian Buffer.

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

Evan O’Connell
+41 79 682 18 95
eoconnell@gavi.org

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

Meg Sharafudeen
+41 79 711 55 54
msharafudeen@gavi.org

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

Cirũ Kariũki
+41 79 913 94 41
ckariuki@gavi.org

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