Vaccines for all

Leaving no one behind is not only a matter of ethics and solidarity. It is also a sound epidemiological choice as “no one is safe until everyone is safe” – Pic by Shehan Gunasekara

• How EU and Member States are leading global solidarity through COVAX contributions

Following is a joint op-ed by Ambassador of France to Sri Lanka Eric Lavertu, Ambassador of Italy to Sri Lanka Rita Manella, Ambassador of Netherlands to Sri Lanka Tanja Gonggrijp, Ambassador of European Union to Sri Lanka Denis Chaibi, Ambassador of Germany to Sri Lanka Holger Seubert, and Ambassador of Romania to Sri Lanka Victor Chiujdea

COVID-19 has killed 2.5 million people so far, and caused the biggest economic recession since World War II. In the face of such adversity, are national solutions the best answer? The European Union (EU) does 

not think so. 

At the G7 Leaders virtual meeting (19 February), the EU announced its commitment to double its financial contribution to the COVAX Global Facility – from EUR 500 million to EUR 1 billion – to increase fair and equitable access for all countries to safe and effective vaccines. EU Member States, under the ‘Team Europe’ approach, have lent even more support: in total, Europeans have provided more than EUR 2.2 billion to COVAX! 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Last year, as part of our Coronavirus Global Response, we committed to ensuring universal access to vaccines everywhere on Earth, for everyone who would need them. COVAX is best placed to help us reach this goal. This is why we decided to double the European Commission’s contribution to COVAX, to € 1 billion. With this new financial boost we want to make sure vaccines are soon delivered to low and middle-income countries. Because we will only be safe if the whole world is safe.”

What is the COVAX Facility? It is a joint effort of different organisations (GAVI, CEPI, WHO, UNICEF) to purchase at least two billion vaccine doses by the end of 2021. This includes at least 1.3 billion doses for 92 low-income and lower middle-income countries such as Sri Lanka.  

 Sri Lanka will receive its first vaccines doses from COVAX in the coming days. The Government of Sri Lanka has set an ambitious goal of vaccinating more than 60% of the population by the end of the year. Depending on stocks availability, it seems that the Government is determined and has mobilised the resources to reach that objective. It certainly helps that at least 20% of the total population will be immunised through COVAX.

In addition to the EU and Member States contribution to COVAX, the EU has also provided a direct grant of EUR 2 million (Rs. 432 million) to the WHO in Sri Lanka to improve COVID-19 cases management, communication and support services. This is part of a larger package of EUR 22 million support to support the resilience and competitiveness of the agriculture and tourism sectors in the face of the pandemic. 

In times of crisis, it is only natural to look down and retreat. The amazingly fast progress of vaccines is a source of hope: we can finally see some light at the end of the tunnel although maintaining social distancing and other preventive measures will remain crucial. Yet, we will only truly benefit from these ground-breaking achievements if we favour multilateralism and cooperation over nationalism and competition. 

The EU and Member States will continue to support global, rather than bilateral efforts for research and the mass production and distribution of safe COVID-19 vaccines. Leaving no one behind is not only a matter of ethics and solidarity. It is also a sound epidemiological choice as “no one is safe until everyone is safe”.