G7 Summit: Leaders Boost Vaccine Donation To Poorer Countries Through COVAX

Related stories

[Video] Tragedy! UK Bound Air India Crashes, Over 204 Passengers Perish

By Abiola Olawale A catastrophic aviation disaster that happened on...

Seeing Opposition In Disarray Gives Me Pleasure, Tinubu Taunts PDP, LP, Others

By Kolawole Ojebisi President Bola Tinubu on Thursday has stated...

Tinubu Denies Stopping INEC From Registering New Parties

By Kolawole Ojebisi President Tinubu has denied stopping the Independent...

Group of Seven leaders, who control a little under half of the world’s economy, have pledged billions of dollars to COVAX, a United Nations coronavirus vaccination programme for poorer countries.

US President Joe Biden and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi debuted at the G7 virtual leaders’ meeting on Friday which was chaired by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Johnson promised to free up any surplus UK vaccines for poorer countries at a future date, and underlined the need for collective action to recover from the pandemic, which has killed 2.4 million people, tipped the global economy into its worst peacetime slump since the Great Depression and upended normal life for billions.

“We’ve got to make sure the whole world is vaccinated because this is a global pandemic and it’s no use one country being far ahead of another, we’ve got to move together,” he said in opening the virtual summit.

At the G7, Biden pledged $4bn (3.3bn euros) in US aid to the COVAX fund to buy vaccines for global distribution.

Germany said it was giving an extra 1.5 billion euros for the global rollout, and the European Union doubled its own COVAX funding to one billion euros.

The total in G7 commitments stands at 7.5 billion euros, the group said in a joint statement following the talks.

UN health chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed the G7’s move in stepping up their support for COVAX.

“Without global solidarity this virus cannot be defeated,” the World Health Organization (WHO) leader told the Munich Security Conference via video-link from Geneva.

Leaving poorer countries without immunisation will allow the coronavirus to mutate, and vaccines will become less effective, Tedros said.

“We could end up back at square one,” the WHO chief warned.

Focus on economic recovery

The leaders also sought to look beyond the COVID-19 pandemic towards rebuilding their battered economies.

They called for stronger defences against a future pandemic, including exploring a global health treaty, but the focus was on a green recovery – on the same day that the United States rejoined the Paris climate agreement.

“Jobs and growth is what we’re going to need after this pandemic,” Johnson told the opening of the meeting.

Agency Report 

'Dotun Akintomide
'Dotun Akintomide
'Dotun Akintomide's journalism works intersect business, environment, politics and developmental issues. Among a number of local and international publications, his work has appeared in the New York Times. He's a winner of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Award. Currently, the Online Editor at The New Diplomat, Akintomide has produced reports that uniquely spoke to Nigeria's experience on Climate Change issues. When Akintomide is not writing, volunteering or working on a media project, you can find him seeing beautiful sites like the sandy beaches that bedecked the Lagos coastline.

Subscribe

- Never miss a story with notifications

- Gain full access to our premium content

- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once

[tds_leads input_placeholder="Your email address" btn_horiz_align="content-horiz-center" pp_msg="SSd2ZSUyMHJlYWQlMjBhbmQlMjBhY2NlcHQlMjB0aGUlMjAlM0NhJTIwaHJlZiUzRCUyMiUyMyUyMiUzRVByaXZhY3klMjBQb2xpY3klM0MlMkZhJTNFLg==" pp_checkbox="yes" tdc_css="eyJhbGwiOnsibWFyZ2luLXRvcCI6IjMwIiwibWFyZ2luLWJvdHRvbSI6IjQwIiwiZGlzcGxheSI6IiJ9LCJwb3J0cmFpdCI6eyJtYXJnaW4tdG9wIjoiMTUiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMjUiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sInBvcnRyYWl0X21heF93aWR0aCI6MTAxOCwicG9ydHJhaXRfbWluX3dpZHRoIjo3NjgsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6eyJtYXJnaW4tdG9wIjoiMjAiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMzAiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sImxhbmRzY2FwZV9tYXhfd2lkdGgiOjExNDAsImxhbmRzY2FwZV9taW5fd2lkdGgiOjEwMTksInBob25lIjp7Im1hcmdpbi10b3AiOiIyMCIsImRpc3BsYXkiOiIifSwicGhvbmVfbWF4X3dpZHRoIjo3Njd9" display="column" gap="eyJhbGwiOiIyMCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTAiLCJsYW5kc2NhcGUiOiIxNSJ9" f_msg_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_input_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_btn_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_pp_font_family="downtown-serif-font_global" f_pp_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNSIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTEifQ==" f_btn_font_weight="700" f_btn_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTEifQ==" f_btn_font_transform="uppercase" btn_text="Unlock All" btn_bg="#000000" btn_padd="eyJhbGwiOiIxOCIsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6IjE0IiwicG9ydHJhaXQiOiIxNCJ9" input_padd="eyJhbGwiOiIxNSIsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6IjEyIiwicG9ydHJhaXQiOiIxMCJ9" pp_check_color_a="#000000" f_pp_font_weight="600" pp_check_square="#000000" msg_composer="" pp_check_color="rgba(0,0,0,0.56)" msg_succ_radius="0" msg_err_radius="0" input_border="1" f_unsub_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_msg_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_input_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_input_font_weight="500" f_msg_font_weight="500" f_unsub_font_weight="500"]

Latest stories

NDN
Latest News
[Video] Tragedy! UK Bound Air India Crashes, Over 204 Passengers PerishTinubu Confers National Honours on Yar'Adua, Kudirat Abiola, Ayo Adebanjo, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Humphrey Nwosu, Soyinka, Sam Amuka, Ibru, OthersSeeing Opposition In Disarray Gives Me Pleasure, Tinubu Taunts PDP, LP, OthersTinubu Denies Stopping INEC From Registering New PartiesDemocracy Day: Peter Obi Slams Tinubu for Prioritizing Politics Over the Welfare of NigeriansJune 12: PDP Raises Alarm, Says APC Is Plotting to Impose “One-Party State” on NigeriaDangote Steps Down as Sugar Chairman After Two Decades of LeadershipDemocracy Day: Reject 'Thugs Masquerading As Leaders', Utomi Urges NigeriansHow Nigeria's Money Got Into Foreign Accounts During Abacha's Reign -- Al-MustaphaPanic As Air India Flight To UK With 242 Passengers Crashes Shortly After Take-offADDRESS BY PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU, GCFR AT THE JOINT SESSION OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY IN COMMEMORATION OF DEMOCRACY DAY, 2025The Complexities of DecisionsOshiomhole Breaks Silence on Viral Lagos Airport Clash with Air Peace StaffSEC Blasts CBEX Says it remains Banned in Nigeria, as Crypto Platform2027: Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai, Others Can't Unseat Tinubu, They're 'Bound To Fail' -- Wike
X whatsapp