The UK will donate at least 100 million surplus coronavirus vaccine doses to the poorest countries in the world within the next year, including five million beginning in the coming weeks, Boris Johnson will tell world leaders on Friday.
The pledge comes ahead of the G7 Summit, which begins in Cornwall on Friday, is part of the Prime Minister’s effort to ask fellow leaders to help vaccinate the entire world by the end of next year.
G7 leaders are expected to agree to provide one billion doses via dose sharing and financing to end the pandemic in 2022.
But former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said the world will need ten billion Covid-19 doses to vaccinate the entire global population.
Asked about the Prime Minister’s initiative earlier this week, Brown said: “He’s not doing enough – this is a promise, not a plan."
Brown added: “What he’s proposing is to share doses, so our excess doses will go somewhere else, but that would only raise about 500 million vaccines.
“We need 10 billion vaccines to be provided to vaccinate the rest of the world.”
Ahead of the G7 meeting in Cornwall, the Prime Minister said: “As a result of the success of the UK’s vaccine programme we are now in a position to share some of our surplus doses with those who need them. In doing so we will take a massive step towards beating this pandemic for good.
“At the G7 Summit I hope my fellow leaders will make similar pledges so that, together, we can vaccinate the world by the end of next year and build back better from coronavirus.”
At the G7 leaders will also discuss how to expand the supply of vaccines internationally, with the Prime Minister asking the group to encourage pharmaceutical companies to adopt the Oxford-AstraZeneca model of providing vaccines of cost for the duration of the pandemic.
Leaders are expected to discuss additional ways to support countries experiencing acute coronavirus emergencies and put in place mechanisms to prevent future pandemics.
The UK is also offering vaccines to delegates to the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow who would not otherwise be able to get them to allow more representatives to attend safely.
Downing Street said this will mean that those countries most affected by climate change are better able to participate fully in discussions about creating a greener future for the planet.
