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King Salman of Saudi Arabia said the “spirit of cooperation” is needed now “more than ever to face the impact of the pandemic.”
FILE: Professor Martin Veller (left), Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand (University of Wits), receives an experimental vaccine for the COVID-19 coronavirus at the Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit (RMPRU) by Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto on July 14, 2020. Six senior physicians from Wits University School of Health Sciences volunteered to participate in the first COVID-19 vaccine trial from South Africa. Image: AFP
G20 leaders said Sunday they will “spare no effort” to ensure the fair distribution of coronavirus vaccines around the world and to support poor countries whose economies have been devastated by the crisis.
As the pandemic progresses, the club of the world’s richest nations adopted a unified tone on future challenges during a virtual summit hosted by Saudi Arabia.
King Salman of Saudi Arabia said the “spirit of cooperation” is needed now “more than ever to face the impact of the pandemic and create a prosperous future for people around the world.”
But after a weekend of “digital diplomacy,” his closing statement lacked details on many of the issues dominating the talks.
“We have mobilized resources to address immediate financial needs in global health to support research, development, manufacturing and distribution of safe and effective Covid-19 diagnostics, therapies and vaccines,” they said in the statement.
“We will spare no effort to ensure affordable and equitable access for all people.”
As the wealthiest nations plan their vaccination programs, and the US hopes to launch them in early December, experts warn that developing countries face hurdles that could deny billions the first proven protection against the virus.
Calls are mounting for the G20 to help close a $ 4.5 billion funding gap in the so-called ACT-Accelerator, a mechanism led by the World Health Organization that aims to ensure access to tests, treatments and vaccines for everybody.
In a comment echoed by other leaders, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday that the coronavirus crisis was “a test for the G20”, emphasizing that “there will be no effective response to the pandemic unless be a global answer. “
However, the final statement does not detail how the massive cost of the exercise would be covered.
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