Commitment and call to action: Global collaboration to accelerate new COVID-19 health technologies

Our Vision and Mission
Grounded in a vision of a planet protected from human suffering
and the devastating social and economic consequences of
COVID-19, we, an initial group of global health actors (BMGF,
CEPI, Gavi, Global Fund, UNITAID, Wellcome Trust, WHO) and
private sector partners and other stakeholders, are launching
a landmark, global and time-limited collaboration to accelerate the
development, production and equitable global access to new COVID-19 essential health technologies.
We know that as long as anyone is at risk from this virus, the entire
world is at risk – every single person on the planet needs to be
protected from this disease.We agree that alongside evidence-based public health measures,
innovative COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines are
needed – in record time and at record scale and access – to save
millions of lives and countless trillions of dollars, and to return
the world to a sense of ‘normalcy’.We recognize the significant amount of critical work, investment
and initiatives already ongoing around the world to expedite
the development and deployment of innovative COVID-19 related
products and interventions.
We appreciate that while development and deployment of
innovative products is essential, it will not be enough. We must
simultaneously and urgently accelerate the strengthening of
sustainable health systems and capacities to enable delivery of
the new COVID-19 tools to those who need them and to mitigate
the knock-on impact on other diseases.
We remember lessons from the past, which have shown that even
when effective tools are available to the world, too often some
are protected, while others are not. This inequity is unacceptable –
all tools to address COVID-19 must be available to all. In the fight
against COVID-19, no one should be left behind.
We understand we cannot do this alone, and that we need to
work together in unprecedented and inclusive partnership with all
stakeholders – political leaders, public and private sector partners,
civil society, academia, and all other stakeholders across society
– jointly leveraging our comparative strengths and respective
voices to drive towards collective solutions, an accelerated path,
and access for all. We are stronger, faster and more effective
working together.Our Mission is not only accelerated development and availability
of new COVID-19 tools – it is to accelerate equitable global access
to safe, quality, effective, and affordable COVID-19 diagnostics,
therapeutics and vaccines, and thus to ensure that in the fight
against COVID-19, no one is left behind. Our Commitment
We commit to the shared aim of equitable global
access to innovative tools for COVID-19 for all.
We commit to an unprecedented level of partnership
– proactively engaging stakeholders, aligning and
coordinating efforts, building on existing collaborations, collectively devising solutions, and grounding
our partnership in transparency, and science.
We commit to create a strong unified voice to
maximize impact, recognizing this is not about
singular decision-making authority, but rather
collective problem-solving, interconnectedness and
inclusivity, where all stakeholders can connect and
benefit from the expertise, knowledge and activities
of this shared action-oriented platform.We commit to build on past experiences towards
achieving this objective, including ensuring that
every activity we undertake is executed through the
lens of equitable global access, and that the voices
of the communities most affected are heard.We commit to be accountable to the world, to
communities, and to one another. We are coming
together in the spirit of solidarity, and in the service
of humanity, to achieve our mission and vision. Our Call
We ask the global community and political leaders to
support this landmark collaboration, and for donors to
provide the necessary resources to accelerate achievement
of the objectives of this global collaboration, capitalizing
on the opportunity provided by the rolling pledging
campaign that will start on 4 May 2020.