EU increases its contribution to COVAX

The European Union has announced today it will contribute an additional €100 million in grant funding to support the COVAX Facility to secure access to the future COVID-19 vaccine in low and middle-income countries. The funds will complement the €400 million in guarantees the EU already committed for COVAX, making the Union one of the leading donors. With this new contribution, the EU is further stepping up investment in support of the global recovery.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, made the announcement today at the virtual Paris Peace Forum, where world leaders and international organizations are discussing the global response and the recovery from the pandemic. Also attending were the Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, and the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides. The proposed allocation of €100 million from the 11^th European Development Fund (EDF) general reserve will adopt the form of a grant contribution to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, as administrator of COVAX Facility, the world’s facility for universal and fair access to COVID-19 vaccines.