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WHO Director-General's remarks at the Global COVID-19 Summit Ending the Pandemic and Building Back Better to Prepare for the Next

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Session I: Call the World to Account and Vaccinate the World

President Biden,

Excellencies,

First, let me thank you, President Biden, for bringing us together, for your leadership and commitment to multilateralism and global health.

Earlier this year, WHO set the world a challenge, to vaccinate 10% of the population of every country by the end of September, 40% by the end of this year, and 70% by the middle of next year.

Almost 90% of wealthier countries have now reached the 10% target. But 50 countries will not get there, mostly in Africa.

High-income countries have pledged more than 1 billion doses, but less than 15% of those doses have materialised.

Of those 1 billion pledged doses, only 120 million have been shipped through COVAX so far. Two-thirds of those have been donated by the US. Thank you, Mr President, also for your announcement today of a further 500 million doses.

We need an ironclad global commitment today to support the vaccination of at least 40% of the population of every country by the end of this year, and 70% by mid-2022. As the President said, we can do this.

To reach that target, we need 2 billion doses for low- and lower- middle income countries, right now, as the Secretary-General said.

We call on the countries and companies that control the global supply of vaccines to swap their near-term vaccine deliveries with COVAX and AVAT; to fulfil their dose-sharing pledges immediately; and to facilitate the immediate sharing of technology, know-how and intellectual property.

But vaccines alone will not end this pandemic.

We have many other tools to stop transmission and save lives: effective public health tools, and effective medical tools. We must use them all.

We call on the international community to fully and urgently fund all ACT Accelerator partners to scale tests, oxygen and other commodities countries need, and the capacities to use them effectively.

Finally, what does the world need to do to prevent a tragedy on this scale occurring again?

We need better governance, better financing, better systems and tools, and we need a stronger, sustainably financed and empowered WHO at the centre of the global health architecture - all underpinned by equity.

We owe it to those who have lost their lives to this virus to make the lasting change the world needs for a safer, fairer and healthier future - together.

I thank you.