September 22, 2021
Today, world leaders attending the 76th United Nations General Assembly (#UNGA76) will join a US-convened Global COVID-19 Summit. While this meeting will tackle key decisions about how the world will respond to COVID-19, including targets for vaccination, oxygen, diagnostics, personal protective equipment (PPE) and financing, this meeting must also set an action plan for global pandemic preparedness for years, and even decades, to come.
Commitments and targets this week must translate into actions and accountability mechanisms that lay the groundwork for integrated, equitable and coordinated responses for COVID-19 today and future pandemics of tomorrow.
Below you will find resources on the issues that AVAC and partners have been advancing in the hope for equitable and resilient global health in the months and years ahead. Join us as we advocate for action now!
Framework for a Global Action Plan for COVID-19 Response
The global COVID-19 crisis demands leadership and a global plan of attack. A coordinated, global response must be grounded in equity at all levels – global, regional, national, subnational and community. A robust and effective response to the current crisis is also the best foundation for strengthening health systems and for future pandemic preparedness. At today’s “Global COVID-19 Summit: Ending the Pandemic and Building Back Better,” leaders must commit to the actions detailed in the Framework For a Global Action Plan for COVID-19 Response developed by the Pandemic Action Network and strongly supported by AVAC and partners. Read the full Framework here.
Ensuring #VaccinEquity
Breaking the Bottlenecks to COVID19 Vaccine Access identifies the critical steps to ensure global vaccine equity. Multiple factors are contributing to bottlenecks in the global supply of COVID-19 vaccines, and ensuring equitable global access will require multiple, simultaneous policy approaches: vaccine donations PLUS suspending patents PLUS technology transfer PLUS building manufacturing capacity PLUS ensuring easy access to raw materials.
Scaling Up Capacity
Calling on the Biden Administration to Scale Up mRNA Vaccine Manufacturing Capacity — This joint letter with more than 100 cosigners calls on the US administration to rapidly scale up mRNA vaccine manufacturing capacity to reach approximately 4 billion people by the end of 2021.
Funding for Resilient Health Systems
The Global Fund: A foundation for health equity — AVAC and partners have called on the US administration to lead a movement to reimagine the Global Fund and its potential in serving as the global funding mechanism for transforming health systems around the world to meet the challenge of COVID-19 and future pandemics.
Whether the next global pandemic lies years in the future or just months down the road, the time is now. We call on world leaders this week to translate commitments and targets into action plans.