Joint Agency Call for Developed Countries to Share Excess COVID Vaccines : Kul Gautam to Henrietta Fore

Dear Henrietta,


I commend you for your strong appeal to the G-7 leaders to release some of the excess COVID vaccines they have in their stock to the neediest developing countries.


In that context, as you are well aware, India and its neighboring countries, including Nepal are now the hottest of the world's hot spots. Following the restrictions on the export of any more vaccines by the Serum Institute of India, and the resulting inability of COVAX to supply any more AstraZeneca vaccines, countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and others find themselves in a situation of not being able to give the 2nd dose of the AZ vaccine to their elderly, frontline health workers and other vulnerable populations who got their first dose nearly three months ago.


Meanwhile, several G-7 countries are holding fairly large quantities of AZ vaccines that they don't need and don't plan to use. Some of these vaccines, as in Canada, are likely to expire soon and might have to be thrown away. There could not be a worse example of vaccine inequity and injustice, and a mockery of the leaders of these countries pontificating about treating the COVID vaccine as a global public good but having to destroy their excess vaccines.


I would, therefore, urge that in the lead up to the G-7 Summit in two weeks, you, Dr. Tedros and Seth Berkley once again make a strong appeal, both privately and publicly, either collectively or individually, to the G-7 leaders to release their excess AZ vaccines IMMEDIATELY to the neediest developing countries, with the highest priority given to countries like Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka where several million people who got their first dose of AZ vaccines nearly three months ago are desperately awaiting their 2nd dose.


For the longer term, I hope you, Dr. Tedros and Seth Berkly will impress upon the G-7 leaders and other OECD/EU members to give a new lease of life to COVAX by facilitating it to procure other WHO-approved vaccines, including especially J&J, as the world awaits the lifting of the ban on the export of the AZCovishield vaccine by SII.

Wishing you continuing success in your brilliant leadership at UNICEF, including in responding to the unprecedented global COVID crisis that is ravaging the future of so many children and families that UNICEF has done so much to uplift in the past seven decades.

Kul Chandra Gautam