The United States, Belize, Germany, Indonesia, and Senegal co-hosted the 2nd Global COVID-19 Summit on May 12. The event garnered new financial commitments totaling US$3.2 billion, including $715 million in new commitments toward a new Financial Intermediary Fund (FIF) for pandemic preparedness and global health security at the World Bank.

The EU pledged a total of €827 million: 1) €300 million support for vaccine delivery package, mostly through the COVAX Facility, the vaccine pillar of the ACT-A; 2) €100 million to the other pillars of the ACT-A (therapeutics, diagnostics, HSS); and 3) €427 million to the FIF, once set up. GHA France published its reaction, welcoming the EU’s pledge but calling on the Commission to scale-up its ACT-A contribution, particularly to support diagnostics and treatments. Funding will come from the €1.3 billion initially set aside to purchase COVID-19 vaccine doses meant for donation — a decision welcomed by GHA France, which has long advocated for the EU to redirect this funding from dose donations to the wider COVID-19 response since March.

Prime Minister Mario Draghi announced that Italy would donate an additional 31 million doses through COVAX and pledged €200 million ($216 million) via the ACT-Accelerator (mostly COVAX) and other global pandemic preparedness initiatives (mainly the FIF). ACTION partner in Italy, Focus Equality will continue their advocacy in the late summer to ensure this “Presidential engagement” is written into the budget by Parliament. PM Draghi stressed that it is essential to achieve a broad consensus on an inclusive facility, with the WHO at its center, to ensure its effective implementation and broad-based financing. 

Results Canada has been advocating for increased resources for the fight to #EndCovidEverywhere by the Canadian government by engaging with Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and the office of the International Development Minister to focus on strengthening health systems, tests, and treatments. A consistent message in Results Canada’s advocacy has been for the government to contribute its “fair share,” and once again the Canadian government came through. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an investment of CAD$732 million in the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A), including $220 million for the COVAX Facility, the vaccine pillar of the ACT-A.