By Wilson Wambua
The Covid 19 vaccine roll out requires another Sh.420billion by the close of this year.
Consequently, the adhoc body formed by world political and health leaders on Friday committed this support in a bid to deal with the Covid 19 effects, whose health, financial and political ramifications has destabilised the world.
The Access to COVID 19 Tools Accelerator commitments now stands at Sh.500billion( US$ 5.1billion) following new contributions, including at Paris Peace Forum on Friday.
The European Commission, France, Spain, The Republic of Korea and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged a further Sh. 360Billion ( US$360 million) to COVAX, the Vaccines Pillar of the ACT Accelerator
Emmanuel Macron, President of France; Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway; Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission; Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO; Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation discuss essential need for multilateral action and the ACT Accelerator’s role in ending the acute phase of the pandemic as quickly as possible
Leaders warn that the world’s capacity to fundamentally change the dynamic of the pandemic in the first half of 2021 is at risk if there are delays to urgent funding
The heads of state, global health leaders, scientists and the private sector have come together at the Paris Peace Forum this week to discuss how to meet the urgent funding needs of the ACT Accelerator.
New contributions bring the total committed to over Sh.501 billion (US$ 5.1 billion )– but an additional Sh. 420 billion (US$ 4.2 billion) is needed urgently this year, with a further US$ 23.9 billion required in 2021, if tools are to be deployed across the world as they become available.
Since April, the ACT Accelerator partnership, launched by WHO and partners, has supported the fastest, most coordinated, and successful global effort in history to develop tools to fight a disease. With significant advances in research and development by academia, private sector and government initiatives, the ACT Accelerator is on the cusp of securing a way to end the acute phase of the pandemic by deploying the tests, treatments and vaccines the world needs.
Speaking at the Paris Peace Forum, Emmanuel Macron, President of France, said: “Together, we have implemented the ACT-A system, with the ambition to be part of a “global public good” approach, that is, to allow access for all to these tools to fight this pandemic.”
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission reminded delegates that the US$ 28 billion needed to fund the ACT-Accelerator to fulfil its objectives is equivalent to “the same sum the transport sector and the global tourism sector lose in just two days of lockdown”. She added that “there is a very clear message behind it. It’s way better to invest now in the ACT Accelerator and to COVAX – for the distribution in every corner of the world of vaccines – than to struggle longer with all the confinement measures we have suffered during this pandemic.”
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, said: “This pandemic is unprecedented, and it has taken the whole world hostage. The only option we have is cooperation and solidarity. It is a must. The world is seeing it that way.”
Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway and co-chair of the ACT Accelerator Facilitation Council, said: “We have to look beyond aid for financing. We need to look at private sector, innovative mechanisms, other ways to get this money, fast. We need to accelerate this faster than we are doing these days.”
Melinda Gates, co-chair of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said: “COVID-19 has made distinction completely irrelevant. In this pandemic, there’s no…
