G20 wants 70% of world vaccinated by mid-2022, sets up pandemic task force

Finance and health ministers from the world's 20 biggest economies (G20) said on Friday they would take steps to ensure 70 per cent of the world's population is vaccinated against Covid-19 by mid-2022 and created a task force to fight future pandemics.

They could not reach agreement on a separate financing facility proposed by the United States and Indonesia, but said the task force would explore options for mobilising funds to boost pandemic preparedness, prevention and response.

"To help advance toward the global goals of vaccinating at least 40 percent of the population in all countries by the end of 2021 and 70 percent by mid-2022 ... we will take steps to help boost the supply of vaccines and essential medical products and inputs in developing countries and remove relevant supply and financing constraints,” the G20 ministers said in a communique seen by Reuters.

The previous goal had eyed vaccinating 70 per cent of the world's population by the autumn of 2022.

“We establish a G20 Joint Finance-Health Task Force aimed at enhancing dialogue and global cooperation on issues relating to pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, promoting the exchange of experiences and best practices, developing coordination arrangements between Finance and Health Ministries, promoting collective action, assessing and addressing health emergencies with cross-border impact and encouraging effective stewardship of resources," the statement said.

The ministers said they were setting up the new body because the pandemic had exposed "significant shortcomings" in the world’s ability to coordinate its response. They pledged to support "all collaborative efforts" to provide access to safe, affordable, quality and effective vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and personal protective equipment, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

To reach the vaccination goals, they said they would work to boost the supply of vaccines and essential medical products and inputs in developing countries, while removing constraints on supply and financing, but gave no specific details.

They also called for boosting the resilience of supply chains through voluntary technology transfer hubs in various regions, such as the newly established mRNA Hubs in South Africa, Brazil and Argentina, and through joint production and processing arrangements.

The call for a voluntary mRNA technology transfer means that talks on the idea of a temporary waiver of intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines and therapies remain stuck at the World Trade Organisation.

INDIA AT G20

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman on Friday met her counterparts in Singapore and Canada and discussed various issues, including economy, health and opportunities for collaboration. Sitharaman met Singapore Finance Minister Lawrence Wong and Canada's Deputy Prime Minister & Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on the sidelines of the G-20 Joint Finance and Health Ministers' meeting. "Discussions were held on global preparedness for dealing with future health emergencies and sustaining the campaigns against other diseases," ministry said.

PM Narendra Modi on Friday held wide-ranging talks with the top leaders of the European Union here during which the two sides discussed deepening the India-EU friendship, particularly in areas such as trade, commerce, culture and the environment. "Official engagements in Rome begin with a productive interaction with @eucopresident Charles Michel and @vonderleyen, President of the @EU_Commission.  The leaders discussed ways to enhance economic as well as people-to-people linkages aimed at crea-ting a better planet,” the PMO tweeted. 

“India will enter the Troika in December this year and will take leadership on the issues and concerns of developing countries and emerging market economies in the G20 forum,” said India's G20 Sherpa, Piyush Goyal. Addressing the media, he also added that India is playing a huge role both in vaccination plan in India, which has been widely welcomed by all the G20 nations. 

“G20 needs to help increase fund availability to the WHO, besides supporting ongoing multi-stakeholder mechanisms such as GAVI, CEPI, ACT-A with a specific focus on equitable and affordable access,” said Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. There is also a need to synchronise multilateral initiatives amongst the member states in accordance with their local context.