ONE statement on G20 commitments

WASHINGTON — As the G20 summit concludes, the ONE Campaign welcomes US leadership on a global plan to fight the pandemic but warns slow progress in delivering health and economic relief to low-income countries will only continue the lifecycle of this virus.

Tom Hart, acting CEO at the ONE Campaign, said: 

“The support expressed for the 70 percent global vaccination goal is a significant step towards beating this virus but reaching this goal will require a huge momentum shift in how wealthy countries are approaching the crisis. At our current pace, it could take over a decade until low-income countries can secure enough vaccines to reach 70 percent. At the upcoming ministerial meeting hosted by Secretary Blinken, we need to see the battle plan for meeting this target.”

Background: 

New analysis released by the ONE Campaign laid out the chief obstacles standing in the way of global efforts to end the pandemic. Key highlights include: 

• Doses are still being hoarded by wealthy countries. As of October 21, twice as many people in wealthier countries have received a booster shot (47 million) than people in low-income countries have had their first vaccine dose (19 million).
• Doses pledged by wealthy countries are not being delivered at the speed and scale needed. G20 countries have committed to share at least 657 million doses by the end of 2021 but only 293 million have been delivered.
• If the current trend continues, ONE warns that it could take over a decade before low-income countries can secure enough vaccines to put an end to this crisis.