Heads of International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, World Health Organization, World Trade Organization issue extraordinary call for financing actions by government leaders to accelerate an end to COVID-19 pandemic.
IMF, WB, WHO, WTO principals call for $50 billion investment to generate $9 trillion in global economic returns by 2025 and boost manufacturing capacity, supply, trade flows, and the equitable distribution of diagnostics, oxygen, treatments, medical supplies, and vaccines.
“Governments must act without further delay or risk continued waves and explosive outbreaks of COVID-19, as well as more transmissible and deadly virus variants undermining the global recovery, leaders of the four agencies, said, adding “By now it has become abundantly clear there will be no broad-based recovery without an end to the health crisis. Access to vaccination is key to both.”
“Increasing our ambition and vaccinating more people faster: WHO and its COVAX partners have set a goal of vaccinating approximately 30% of the population in all countries by the end of 2021,” said the four leaders.
“But this can reach even 40% through other agreements and surge investment, and at least 60 percent by the first half of 2022.”
“To urgently get more shots in arms, doses need to be donated immediately to developing countries synchronized with national vaccine deployment plans, including through COVAX,” said the four leaders. “Cooperation on trade is also needed to ensure free cross-border flows and increasing supplies of raw materials and finished vaccines.”
