Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

G-7 Leaders Vow No Pandemic Repeat 

G-7 Leaders Vow No Pandemic Repeat 

Leaders of the G-7 are set to sign the Carbis Bay Declaration, described as a “historic statement setting out a series of concrete commitments to prevent any repeat of the human and economic devastation wreaked by coronavirus.”

The statement, named for the location of the G-7 Summit in the seaside town of Cornwall, England, recognizes the need to tackle the roots of the coronavirus pandemic on a global level. The aim is to slash the time needed to respond to a pandemic, including to develop vaccines, to under 100 days.

Heads of Britain, the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan – a grouping of the world’s wealthiest democracies known as the Group of Seven – were joined in their discussions on global health by leaders of South Korea, South Africa and Australia. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined virtually. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and leaders of other international organizations were also present.

The leaders were presented with recommendations from the Pandemic Preparedness Partnership, a group of international experts established by England earlier this year.

A health worker holds a tray with vials of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 during a priority vaccination program at a community medical center in Sao Paulo, Brazil, May 6, 2021.


The recommendations include acceleration of the development and licensing of vaccines, treatments and diagnostics for any future disease to under 100 days; a commitment to reinforce global surveillance networks and genomic sequencing capacity; and support for reforming and strengthening the World Health Organization.

Some observers responded with skepticism.

“Often the G-7, the problem with it is they announced many grand declarations. And if you look sort of a year later, how many did they fulfill?” said Dan Hamilton, director of the Global Europe Program at the Wilson Center, a global policy research group in Washington.

1 billion vaccines


Earlier in the week, summit host British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the G-7 would announce a plan to donate a billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to low- and middle-income countries, including 100 million doses from Britain.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about his administration's pledge to donate 500 million doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine to the world's poorest countries, during a visit to St. Ives in Cornwall, England, June 10, 2021.


Johnson’s announcement Thursday came after U.S. President Joe Biden said earlier in the day that his administration was donating 500 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, half of the G-7 vaccine trove.

The announcement was welcomed by developing countries, but some activists said it wasn't enough.

"If the best G-7 leaders can manage is to donate 1 billion vaccine doses, then this summit will have been a failure," Oxfam GB health policy adviser Anna Marriott said, adding that the world would need 11 billion doses to end the pandemic.

Vaccine patent waiver


The recommendation report, presented by British physician Sir Patrick Vallance and Melinda French Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, does not mention waiving intellectual property rights on vaccines. Bill Gates, founder of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance — one of the co-sponsors of the COVAX initiative, the U.N. mechanism to improve vaccine access for low- and middle-income countries — does not support a patent waiver.

Many human rights organizations, including the ONE Campaign and Doctors Without Borders, have called on G-7 leaders to support a waiver on intellectual property behind vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics — the so-called TRIPS waiver proposal by South Africa and India at the World Trade Organization.

On Friday, Guterres reiterated his support for lifting patents, saying, “It’s obvious that we need to share the knowledge and share all the aspects necessary to allow for doubling the production of vaccines.”

France's President Emmanuel Macron walks to a working session at the G-7 summit in Cornwall, England, June 12, 2021.


In May, the U.S. announced it supported an intellectual property (IP) waiver. During the G-7 summit, French President Emanuel Macron said he also supported the proposal.

The European Union, however, is pushing for a different approach: compulsory licensing to scale up vaccine production.

To waive IP on vaccine technology, all members of the WTO must agree – a long and challenging process with dim prospects for now.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
×