Leaders of the world’s 20 biggest economies on Sunday will pledge to pay for a fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, drugs, and tests worldwide so that poorer countries are not left out and to extend debt relief to them; a draft G20 communique showed, Reuters reports.
“We will spare no effort to ensure their affordable and equitable access for all people, consistent with members’ commitments to incentivize innovation,” the leaders said in the draft G20 statement, seen by Reuters. “We recognize the role of extensive immunization as a global public good.”
The leaders said the global economy was starting to pick up, but the recovery remained “uneven, highly uncertain and subject to elevated downside risks.”
They pledged to continue to use all available policy tools as long as needed to safeguard lives, jobs, and incomes and encouraged the multilateral development banks to strengthen their efforts to help countries deal with the crisis.
The European Union has called for $4.5 billion by the end of the year from the G20 to pay for COVID-19 fighting tools for poorer countries, Reuters says.
