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“Luck only favors the spirit prepared for it.” This was the motto of Louis Pasteur, one of the best scientists who ever lived. Thanks to its spirit of flame, many vaccines and pioneering discoveries have saved the lives of millions of people from the 19th century to the present day.
As then, the world is now struggling with a virus that is spreading across countries and continents, invading our homes and breaking our hearts.
This virus has brought suffering and destruction to all corners of the world.
It prevents us from touching our loved ones, it prevents us from worshiping our joyous hobbies and it deprives us of the opportunity to enjoy the view of the places we wish to visit.
This sacrifice, as well as the heroic efforts of health and nursing professionals, have helped to slow the spread of the epidemic in many parts of the world. While some are already cautiously venturing out of the confinement, others are still in quarantine and living their daily lives in severe social and economic limitations. The consequences could be particularly dramatic on the African continent and in developing countries.
However, what we have in common is that none of us can plan with much certainty.None of us foresees what the future holds for pandemics.
This means that we are all interested in joint action.
None of us is immune to the virus, and none of us can control the pandemic alone. In fact, we will not be safe until we are all safe, in every town, city, region and country in the world. In today’s world, where everything is connected to everything, the global health system is as strong as its weakest part. To protect ourselves, we must protect each other.
This is a unique challenge that the entire world has to face. Therefore, it is vital to start the fight from the most likely position. And That Means We are putting the world’s sharpest and most prepared minds on the agenda to develop the vaccines, treatments and cures we need to restore health to the world again. In doing so, we need to strengthen our health systems so that developments are accessible to all, especially in Africa.
We build on the commitment of G20 leaders to take strong and coordinated action in response to the epidemic. We support the joint call of the World Health Organization and other global health organizations for action. Therefore recently we have created a global collaboration platform with the goal of accelerating and improving the research, development and equitable distribution of vaccines and other life-saving diagnostic treatments and procedures. The platform, called “Access to the COVID-19 Tool Accelerator (ACT)”, which aims to accelerate access to the tools necessary to combat the coronavirus epidemic, is already operational. This laid the foundation for a true international alliance against the coronavirus epidemic.
We are determined to work with all those who share our commitment to international cooperation. We are prepared to lead and support the response to the epidemic as a global leader.
Our goal is simple: We want to start with € 7.5 billion at the online donor conference on May 4, at which time the Global Readiness Monitoring Board, along with others, estimates the global funding gap.
At the conference, everyone will declare how much they will offer for the common cause. We are pleased that many partner organizations around the world have joined us. With the help of the resources thus gathered unprecedented large-scale global cooperation will begin involving scientists, regulators, sectors and governments, international organizations, foundations and health professionals. We support the World Health Organization and it is a great pleasure to work with experienced organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation or the Wellcome Trust.
Every euro and every dollar we create together is primarily a recognized global healthcare organization. Including the Coalition for Innovation in Epidemiological Preparation (CEPI) and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi), as well as the Global Fund and the International Mechanism for the Purchase of Medicines, UNITAID will reach its destination through The money is developing and applying diagnostic tools, treatments, and vaccines as quickly as possible for as many people as possible to help us overcome the pandemic. If we can develop a vaccine that the world produces for everyone, we will create a product that uniquely serves the public good in the 21st century.
Together with our partners, we are committed to making the vaccine available, accessible and affordable for everyone.
This is the duty of our generation, and we know that we are capable of fulfilling that duty. It is not my dream to get cheap and high quality sanitary technologies. We have seen that public-private partnerships have made several life-saving vaccines available to the world’s poorest people in the past two decades.
We know that a long struggle awaits us. Today we start quickly towards the first goal, but we are also ready for the marathon.
The amount now directed will only be enough to cover initial needs – much more money will be needed to produce and deliver medicines globally.
Together, we need to mobilize additional resources and move forward so that everyone in the world has access to vaccines, treatments and diagnostic procedures.
This is a decisive moment in the life of the global community. By aligning ourselves with science and solidarity today, we are laying the foundations for closer unity tomorrow. Along with the sustainable development goals, we can redesign how to harness the power of community, society and global cooperation to leave no one behind.
In this fight, everyone is fighting the coronavirus epidemic. We will win together
Giuseppe Conte, Prime Minister of Italy
Emmanuel Macron, President of France
Angela Merkel, Federal Chancellor of Germany
Charles Michel, President of the European Council
Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Cover image source: European Union, European Council Media Library on the EU Summit on February 20, 2020
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