British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the news of the vaccine doses at a press conference on Sunday afternoon, shortly after the end of the summit he hosted.
Leaders from the United States, Britain, Japan, France, Germany, Canada and Italy, as well as those of the European Union, gathered at Carbis Bay in Cornwall, southwest England.
The seven leaders of the world’s most powerful industrialized nations will donate more than one billion doses of vaccine to middle and low-income countries, either directly or through the Covax Vaccine Program.
“This is another big step towards vaccinating the entire world,” Johnson said.
It is not clear if there will be new doses
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 11 billion doses are needed if enough people are to be vaccinated to eliminate the epidemic by the middle of next year. Many aid groups also believe that the promises of the G7 countries are not enough.
Among other things, One Campaign’s Rumeli Greenhill says there is a “vague haze” around the number. She notes that it is unclear whether this is a new promise or merely a repetition of previous promises from various G7 countries.
Among other things, the UK has already promised 1 billion doses by the end of 2022. Germany has already made a much more vague promise of 2.3 billion doses.
Biden: – Not in the goal before 2023
The United States accounts for about half the billion doses promised by the G7 nations. President Joe Biden said at his press conference that Sunday’s vaccine promise is not the last step in the fight against the coronary artery pandemic.
However, he also said he does not believe the target of vaccine doses for 70 percent of the world’s adults has not necessarily been reached by 2023.
The final declaration, presented on Sunday, also takes a tougher tone against China than before, among other things, by urging Beijing to respect human rights in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
The G7 countries have also called on the World Health Organization to conduct a new investigation into the origin of the coronavirus in China.
No deal on coal power
Moreover, countries support an escalation of the fight against climate change, a fairer global tax system, and a promise to hold Russia responsible for a number of major computer attacks. An agreement on a global minimum rate of 15 percent for corporate tax was struck even before the meeting.
The final declaration states for the first time that countries will become climate-neutral “as soon as possible, no later than 2050”. However, the G7 could not provide many details about the climate escalation. Among other things, they did not agree on a common goal of phasing out coal energy, due to American opposition.
Biden with the sting to his predecessor
In his press conference, Biden described the climate crisis as the greatest threat to humanity. The US President took the opportunity to make several statements against his predecessor, Donald Trump.
We had a president who thought the climate crisis was not a problemBiden, who took office for Trump in January, said.
In addition, he and Johnson praised the good atmosphere at the meeting. Biden says there has been real optimism among the leaders, after four years with Trump.
Most leaders will now go to the NATO summit in Brussels. Biden and his wife Jill took a quick trip to London on Sunday, to enjoy afternoon tea with Queen Elizabeth.
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