IMF, World Bank and WHO Propose Global COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy to End Pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the World Trade Organization (WTO)) proposed a plan to vaccinate the whole world and thus end the COVID-19 pandemic. They say that to achieve this goal, comprehensive action is needed where public and private institutions work together.

Organizations recognize the achievements of science in developing vaccines in record time. However, warn that the gap in access to doses is widening between rich and poor countries.

“Uneven vaccine distribution leaves millions vulnerable to the virus, allowing deadly variants to emerge and spread rapidly around the world. As the variants spread, even countries with advanced immunization programs have been forced to re-impose more stringent public health measures and travel restrictions, ”they write, in a joint opinion column. published in the Washington postKristalina Georgieva, IMF; Tedros Adhanom, WHO; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, from the WTO; and David Malpass of the World Bank.

The directors of these institutions highlighted an IMF proposal, which can be implemented at a feasible cost and which is complemented by other WHO initiatives already underway and by programs such as COVAX.

“With an estimated budget of $ 50 billion, the pandemic in developing countries would end quickly. In addition, infections and deaths would be reduced, the economic recovery would accelerate and some $ 9 trillion in global production would be generated by 2025.. Everybody wins. También, debido a los inestimables beneficios para la salud y la vida de las personas, alrededor del 60 por ciento de los beneficios se destinarían a los mercados emergentes y las economías en desarrollo, y el 40 por ciento restante beneficiaría al mundo desarrollado ”, escriben for him Washington post.

Implementing the plan will require additional funding for low- and middle-income countries, in addition to vaccine donations. Also, to insure the world population against new variants, it will be necessary to manufacture at least one billion doses.. To achieve the latter goal, it is necessary to provide technology and knowledge to countries with low production capacity.

“All obstacles to the expansion of the offer must be removed. We call on WTO members to speed up negotiations for pragmatic intellectual property solutions. Several low- and middle-income countries are investing in local manufacturing, which is essential not only to end this pandemic but also to prepare for the next, ”they point out.

The leaders of the World Bank, WHO, IMF and WTO stress that the strategy must be accompanied by massive testing against covid-19 and monitoring of infections. In addition, public health systems must be strengthened and provided with an oxygen supply.

“Speed ​​and coordination are essential. The plan requires advance funding, advance vaccine donations, as well as preventative investment and advance planning. It is essential that all of this is available as soon as possible“, They warn.

In addition, they stress that coordinated global action is essential, based on full transparency in the purchasing and delivery process. And they stress that success depends on “the collaboration of all parties (public, private, international financial institutions, foundations)”.

“Investing $ 50 billion to end the pandemic would pay a huge development dividend and boost global growth and well-being. But the longer we wait to act, the more costly the action becomes: in human suffering and economic losses “, they point out.

And they end: “Our institutions strive to turn this global hope into realityThe IMF is preparing an unprecedented allocation of Special Drawing Rights to increase the reserves and liquidity of its members. WHO is seeking funding to meet urgent needs of its Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan and ACT-Accelerator partnership, the Covid-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) encouraging knowledge exchange and technologies. The World Bank will launch vaccine projects in at least 50 countries by the end of June and, with the collaboration of the International Finance Corporation, will work to mobilize the private sector to increase vaccine supply to developing countries. And the WTO is working to free up supply chains for the plan to succeed. “

On the other hand, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Monday welcomed the decision “historical”Member States of strengthen the agency after a crisis which revealed its shortcomings, But he stressed the urgency of a pandemic treaty to prevent the same mistakes from happening again.

More than a year after the start of the pandemic that caused 3.5 million deaths worldwide, WHO members decided to strengthen the organization after a week of discussions. But the orientations of the reform have not yet been defined. Some countries are reluctant to give more power to the WHO in the name of their sovereignty.

Members also decided to postpone discussions on the need for a pandemic treaty or convention until November., an instrument claimed for weeks by the WHO and several countries, including France and Germany.

For Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who spoke at the end of the Assembly, a binding international agreement is what “will do the most to strengthen WHO and global health security”.

“Currently, pathogens have more power than the WHO,” he summarized. However, at the end of this 74th World Health Assembly, which was held online under surveillance from Geneva, called the resolution “one of the most important in the history of the organization”.

The key objective of the meeting, highlighted in the discussions, is the reform of the agency and its ability to coordinate the response to global health crises and prevent future epidemics, while the WHO and the international community could not predict the COVID-19 pandemic.

During this week, members had access to various independent expert reports What revealed the flaws of the who but also those in countries before the global COVID-19 epidemic, and have called for far-reaching reforms of the alert Yes prevention.

One of these reports considers that the pandemic could have been avoided and that the WHO declared too late, at the end of January 2020, an international health emergency, that is to say the highest level of alert.

You inform them “they are unanimous on the fact that the world needs a stronger WHO at the center of the global health architecture ”, Summarized Tedros.

But “WHO cannot be strengthened without sustainable funding,” said Dr Tedros. For the moment, 16% of the budget provides for compulsory state contributions, the rest is voluntary from public and private donors.

The resolution, proposed in particular by the United States and the European Union, it remains rather vague on certain points, obliging countries to “seek and ensure adequate, flexible, sustainable and predictable financing of the WHO budgetary program”.

The text confirms that the preparation and response to health crises “They are first and foremost the responsibility of governments, which play a fundamental role in this regard.”

In addition, this final resolution establishes a working group on strengthening WHO’s preparedness and response to health emergencies.

The working group, open to all Member States, will be responsible for review the findings of the various reports and present their own recommendations for consideration at the 75th World Health Assembly.

In addition, the CEO can make his own proposals. In fact, he has already asked to start a pilot project for assess the preparedness of each country for a pandemic and improve health warning, communication and evaluation systems.

With information from AFP

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