The Coronavirus Global Response (Press release: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_952) builds on the commitment made by G20 leaders on 26 March to present a united front against the pandemic. With this in mind, on 24 April, the World Health Organization (WHO) and a group of global actors launched a call for collaboration in accelerating the development, production and equitable access to coronavirus tools. Together, they issued a call to action. The European Commission responded to this call by joining forces with Canada, France, Germany, Italy (also incoming G20 presidency), Japan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (also holding the G20 presidency), Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom to host a pledging marathon – the Coronavirus Global Response Initiative – as of 4 May 2020.

World-leading scientists and health experts, gathered in the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board – co-convened by the WHO and the World Bank – say €7.5 billion ($8 billion) represents the immediate needs for developing solutions to test, treat and protect people, and to prevent the disease from spreading. With the Coronavirus Global Response Initiative, the EU and its partners are taking the lead in the global effort to close this funding gap.

The pledges raised focus on the three most pressing needs:

We need new tests to rapidly diagnose the disease. These tests need to be accurate and easily accessible.

We need new treatments to minimise symptoms in coronavirus patients, so fewer people have to go to hospital.

We need new vaccines to protect people, to prevent the disease from coming back, and to allow us to return to normal life.

They also focus on strengthening health systems everywhere, to help the world overcome this pandemic – and avoid another.

The funding recipients are:

• The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI) for vaccines
• Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance for vaccine deployment
• Therapeutics Accelerator for therapeutics
• UNITAID for therapeutics deployment (related to coronavirus)
• Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) for diagnostics
• The Global Fund for diagnostics deployment (related to coronavirus)
• The World Health Organization (WHO) for health systems (related to coronavirus)

All new vaccines, diagnostics and treatments for the coronavirus need to be globally available, appropriate, and affordable.

This is why we need a response of unprecedented scale, speed and solidarity. Scale to prioritize the most promising technologies and innovations, speed to act fast now to accelerate the development, manufacturing and deployment of diagnostics, treatments and vaccines, and solidarity to ensure equitable access to them for all, in Europe and worldwide, regardless of where they have been developed or who has funded them.

• Questions and Answers about the Coronavirus Global Response (https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_20_731)
• Read more about what the EU is doing across the board to respond to the Coronavirus outbreak (https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/coronavirus-response_en)

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen rallied the international community around the need to develop a vaccine, produce it, deploy it to every single corner of the Earth and make it available against coronavirus at affordable prices. A vaccine that would be our universal, common good.

• Almost €16 billion raised from end of April to end of June 2020
• A global cooperation framework for vaccines development, the ACT-Accelerator
• A pledging marathon that culminated in a Global Pledging Summit and Concert on June 27