Fighting against the Covid-19 crisis

Respond to Covid-19 and prepare for future pandemics

The pandemic has precipitated a sudden awareness of our common vulnerability and interdependence. But where more cooperation is necessary to save lives and cool the planet, we have seen the opposite: global retrenchment, vaccine nationalism and too little cooperation. The results are evident: more than 60% of the population is vaccinated in the EU and the US, while less than 2% vaccinated in low income countries, new Covid variants are appearing, and havoc is being wreaked on all fronts of global cooperation, including those vital for our future like climate. This must change. There is nothing inevitable about governments focused on narrow tradeoffs and not wanting to see the larger price of non-coordination, as there is nothing inevitable about IOs paralyzed by non-cooperative governments. The Paris Peace Forum has joined with many organizations in a global effort to reach the goal of vaccinating 70% of the population in every country by this time next year or sooner — and 40% by the end of this year. This is not an easy target, it will require dramatically ramping up dose donations, manufacturing, and delivery. It will require more deployment of testing, treatments, oxygen, and PPE for the most vulnerable. But ending this pandemic is long overdue. It’s no time to rest, it’s an illusion to think that this pandemic will go away without continuing efforts. The Paris Peace Forum's president Pascal Lamy, along with Carolyn Reynolds (Pandemic Action Network), Gary Edson (Covid Collaborative), and Mark McClellan (Duke University), has called for a six point plan for Biden’s Covid summit. The Framework for a Global Action Plan for Covid-19 Response further details additional targets and goals towards which all efforts must be focused. Having worked closely with and supported the launch of the Multilateral Leaders Task Force (co-led by the IMF, the World Bank, the WHO, and the WTO), the Forum will continue to put all its efforts in accelerating a coordinated global response among all the global, regional, and national leaders of its community.

Recent Paris Peace Forum actions

Leaders convene to share plans and targets for putting the Covid-19 crisis behind us

5 July, 2021 - The Paris Peace Forum and the ONE Campaign coordinated a discussion with Kristalina Georgieva, Director-General of the International Monetary Fund, and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, moderated by Pascal Lamy with an intervention by David Malpass, President of the World Bank Group.

Helping bridge the North-South divide on critical challenges: vaccines, debt, climate

17 May, 2021 - Taking place on the eve of the Summit on Financing African Economies hosted by President Macron, the Spring Meeting highlighted North-South relations in these times of pandemic, with a special emphasis on Africa. Vaccine nationalism endangers global immunity and economic recovery and threatens to poison North-South relations on other issues, including climate negotiations. The Spring meeting sessions gathered key global actors such as WHO, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the IMF, the WTO, and public development banks. Together, they explored how advanced economies and developing nations can cooperate on short-term vaccine procurement and long-term recovery – covering vaccine production, debt relief, and sustainable development – and how these mechanisms could be best financed.

Five priorities for universal Covid-19 vaccination

6 May, 2021 - The Paris Peace Forum convened a high-level meeting, which included government officials and G20 sherpas to heads of states and governments, public health leaders, and members of non-governmental organisations and foundations from 15 countries, to deliberate on how to get closer to universal Covid-19 vaccination in a limited time. The group identified five priorities.

Gates Foundation announces new funds to develop Covid-19 vaccines and increase access to affordable vaccines in low-income countries

12 November, 2020 - Covid-19 has already resulted in the deaths of more than one million people worldwide, increased inequality, and caused unprecedented disruption and slowdown in the global economy. In this session, key stakeholders gave the ACT accelerator (Access to Covid-19 Tools) new momentum and work towards increased funding. They also worked on the new principles we should adopt to ensure effective vaccines, diagnostics and treatments, seen as global public goods, can be made available everywhere in the world on an equitable basis. Speaking at the 2020 Paris Peace Forum, Melinda Gates commits an additional $70 million and urges accelerated global action to end pandemic for everyone, everywhere.