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French President Emmanuel Macron has called on wealthy Western countries to transfer 3-5% of their Covid-19 vaccines to Africa and developing countries elsewhere, ahead of Friday’s G7 summit. The presidency has confirmed that France will share 5% of its shares with Africa – even if other rich countries do not join them.
In an interview with London Financial Times, President Macron says failure to share vaccines will worsen global inequalities. He says leaving the poorest nations behind is out of the question.
The transfer of “3 to 5% of the vaccines we have in stock to Africa … will not delay [our vaccination effort] of a single day, given how we use our doses, ”he told the newspaper.
His comments were released on Thursday, a day ahead of Britain’s virtual meeting of G7 leaders.
Macron said German Chancellor Angela Merkel supports a pan-European initiative, adding that he also hopes to convince the United States.
A presidential spokesman in Paris said that even “if the others do not join, France will give 5% of its vaccine stock” to the poorest countries, either for free or at a very low price.
The French leader said he was alarmed that vaccination campaigns had not even started in some poor countries when rich countries had already vaccinated millions.
Canada, for example, would have enough doses of the coronavirus vaccine to treat its entire population five times.
Unprecedented acceleration of inequalities
“We allow the idea to take hold that hundreds of millions of vaccines are given in rich countries and we don’t start in poor countries.
“This is an unprecedented acceleration in global inequalities and it is also politically unsustainable because it paves the way for a war of influence on vaccines,” Macron said.
The French president admitted in early February that China had achieved “diplomatic successes” very early on in distributing vaccines to other countries, which could be considered “a bit humiliating for us because [Western] leaders”.
But he added that it was a “test of multilateralism.” This is not about vaccine diplomacy. This is not a power game, it is a matter of public health.
The limits of vaccine diplomacy
Hungary and Serbia are expected to use the Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccine in Europe, while Beijing also donates or sells to countries around the world, from Pakistan to Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and African countries to the west.
Russia also sells or donates its Sputnik V vaccine abroad.
Speaking in favor of a West-led multilateral approach at an event with the Atlantic Council think tank on February 4, Macron said he believed that “in the very long term, we can be more efficient “.
Virtual summit, real tensions
The leaders of G7 countries (France, US, UK, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan) meet amid tensions, not least due to EU efforts to secure trade deals with China before the Biden administration does not update.
Summit host Boris Johnson is expected to propose accelerated production of vaccines, especially for distribution to developing countries.
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