Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have urged the world's richest countries to send life-saving coronavirus vaccines to poorer nations.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have joined the World Health Organization and Save the Children in an appeal to G20 leaders meeting this weekend.
They've urged them to honour promises to get Covid-19 vaccines to low-income countries where just 3% of people have had a jab.
In a two-page letter, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Save the Children International CEO Inger Ashing and other leading voices in global health called for the world’s wealthiest countries to accelerate long-promised donations of vaccines.
They coalition has demanded that the hold pharmaceutical companies have over access to vaccines must be broken.
“Among countries represented at the G20, there are a handful with millions of surplus vaccines that are destined to be wasted once they expire,” the letter said.
“Every discarded dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, when there are the mechanisms to donate them, should outrage us all.
"Each dose represents a real person—a mother, father, daughter, or son—who could have been protected.”
They pointed out that seven billon doses of Covid vaccines have been administered globally but Covax, the initiative designed to help fair achieve global access to vaccines, had only received 11.5% of the promised 1.3 billion doses.
Global targets have been set to vaccinate 40% of the population of every country by the end of 2021 and 70% by the mid-2022.
Decisions made at the G20 leaders’ summit in Rome this weekend could make or break those targets.
“By delivering already-pledged doses, helping countries manufacture their own vaccines, and prioritizing vaccines for nations in need, the G20 can help ensure the world delivers on these promises,” said the letter that was also signed by the Vaccine Alliance, UNAIDS Clinton Foundation and Global Citizen.
“We can’t simply hope for the pandemic to end on its own. As the virus progresses through unvaccinated populations, we risk new and more deadly strains sweeping the planet.”
In the Spring Prince Harry urged people to “look beyond ourselves with empathy and compassion” during a speech at Vax Live.
Harry, appearing without the Duchess of Sussex who was then expecting their second child, praised the world’s frontline medical workers at the concert.
“Tonight is a celebration of each of you here, the vaccinated frontline workers in the audience and the millions of frontline heroes around the world,” he said.
“You spent the last year battling courageously and selflessly to protect us all. You served and sacrificed, put yourselves in harm’s way, and acted with bravery, knowing the costs.
"We owe you an incredible debt of gratitude. Thank you.”
