G7 leaders have collectively pledged over $4.3 billion to the ACT Accelerator partnership to develop and distribute effective tests, treatments and vaccines globally.
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The commitment was made during the Virtual G7 leaders meeting on 19 February 2021, taking the overall amount of the investment to $10.3 billion. The Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator comprises four pillars: diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccines and health system strengthening. In total, it needs $38.1 billion to fully fund its work in 2021, and with the latest pledge the financing gap has been reduced to$ 22.9 billion.
According to the joint statement, G7 leaders committed to “accelerate global vaccine development and deployment; work with industry to increase manufacturing capacity, including through voluntary licensing; improve information sharing, such as on sequencing new variants; and, promote transparent and responsible practices, and vaccine confidence”.
The $4.3 billion come from the U.S., Germany, the European Commission, Japan and Canada. Specifically, the countries made the following contributions:
The U.S. announced a total of $4
billion in contributions to Gavi, including an initial contribution of $2
billion approved by Congress in December 2020 and a further $2 billion through
2021 and 2022, of which the first $500 million will be made available when
existing donor pledges are fulfilled and initial doses are delivered to the
recipient countries.
Germany committed
€1.5 billion with contributions to all pillars and partners of the ACT
Accelerator.
The European Commission’s contribution for the COVAX Advance Market
Commitment stood at €300 million ($363
million).
Japan allocated
$79 million for the COVAX
Advance Market Commitment and UNITAID.
Canada’s pledge
accounted for $59 million (CAD 75
million) to the ACT Accelerator.
Additional €200 million ($242 million) were provided in loan guarantees by the European Investment Bank.
In turn, the UK committed to
share its vaccine surplus with low- and middle-income countries as previously did
Canada, France, Norway and the European Union.
The ACT Accelerator is a framework for collaboration between existing organisation, and its aim is to accelerate the development, production and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines. It was launched by the WHO, European Commission, France and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in April 2020. Through the initiative, the global community strives to ensure delivery of more than 2 billion doses of vaccine; medical oxygen; millions of treatment doses; and over 900 million diagnostic tests.
Source: WHO
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