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Vaccine Solidarity Now

The G7 has an opportunity to demonstrate global leadership in the COVID-19 pandemic by making the success of the international COVAX vaccine-access facility its top priority. Global solidarity is not only morally right, but also offers the quickest way to end the crisis and put economies on the road to recovery.

GENEVA – The arrival of the first COVID-19 vaccines in late 2020 brought fresh hope that the end of the pandemic was within sight. When G7 leaders, from North America and Europe to Japan, gather for a virtual meeting on February 19, their top priority will be to discuss precisely how to achieve this goal.

While this won’t be the first time that global leaders have addressed the pandemic, I welcome the fact that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the G7’s current chair, has called this summit specifically in order to focus on vaccination. Having represented the European Union at these gatherings for ten years, I know how they can spur a broader movement to find solutions.

With US President Joe Biden renewing America’s spirit of multilateralism, this G7 meeting offers genuine hope of becoming a true inflection point in overcoming the COVID-19 crisis. Moreover, a solution is already on the table, with vaccines ready to be rolled out to the world’s poorest countries.

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