G20 commits to 'full financing' of WHO scheme to buy COVID vaccines, drugs - draft

BRUSSELS - Leaders of G20 nations are to commit for the first time to fully fund a World Health Organization scheme to distribute COVID-19 vaccines and drugs to poorer nations, the draft conclusions of a summit show, in a move that would unblock nearly $20 billion.

The document, subject to changes before a global health summit to be held in Rome on May 21, also says that leaders of the world's 20 largest economies are committed to urgent action this year to boost manufacturing capacity for anti-COVID technologies, but omits mention of vaccine patent waivers. According to the draft, leaders will for the first time express an explicit commitment "to fair and full financing of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) strategy", which is the WHO's scheme to make COVID-19 vaccines, drugs and tests available to everybody in the world.