The 3rd edition of the Paris Peace Forum is dedicated to finding ways out of the pandemic. (Representative)
Paris:
Several countries and foundations are expected to pledge more than $ 500 million on Thursday for a global pool aimed at ensuring equitable access to coronavirus tests, treatments and vaccines for all nations, organizers of a French forum said.
The third edition of the Paris Peace Forum, which seeks to address governance issues with concrete projects, takes place Thursday and Friday in the French capital and is dedicated to finding ways to relieve and emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic.
This is happening as the number of cases is rapidly increasing across Europe and beyond.
It also comes just days after US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech announced very promising results for their vaccine candidate, raising hopes around the world.
During the forum, several countries are expected to announce funding for the so-called ACT-Accelerator, a mechanism led by the World Health Organization that aims to ensure access to tests, treatments and vaccines for all.
According to a press release from the organizers, France will announce a commitment of 100 million euros, Spain 50 million and the European Commission 100 million specifically for the vaccines component of ACT-A.
The UK government is also expected to declare a contribution of an additional pound for every four dollars pledged.
Organizers added that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was also to “announce a significant engagement during the discussion.”
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, French President Emmanuel Macron, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, will take part in an online discussion which will be streamed online.
In September, the United Nations estimated that the ACT-Accelerator had received only about $ 3 billion of the $ 38 billion needed to meet the goal of producing and delivering two billion doses of vaccine, 245 million treatments and 500 million diagnostic tests over the next year.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
