100 Former Global Leaders: G7 Should Cover COVID-19 Vaccination Costs in Poor Countries
One hundred former presidents, prime ministers, and foreign ministers from around the world have called on the G7 to bear the cost of COVID-19 vaccination in poor countries worldwide. The G7 summit will be held on June 11-13.
Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, former British prime ministers, Ban Ki-moon, former UN Secretary-General, and 15 former African leaders are among the signatories of a letter published by one hundred former world leaders and political figures.
In this letter, they have called on the G7 to assume the costs of COVID-19 vaccination in poor countries worldwide.
The appeal from these hundred leaders is being released on the eve of the G7 summit, which is scheduled to be held on June 11-13 (June 21-23 in the Iranian calendar) and will be hosted by Britain.
Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, along with Joe Biden, President of the United States, as well as the leaders of Britain, France, Italy, Canada, and Japan will attend this summit.
In their letter, the former world leaders have stated: “Support from the G7 and G20 for providing available vaccines to countries with middle and low incomes is not charity, but rather a coordinated and strategic move in the interests of all member countries.”
According to them, the G7 should allocate a total of 60 billion dollars over two years (30 billion dollars annually) to combat the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide.
Gordon Brown, former British Prime Minister and one of the signatories of this joint letter, said: “Assuming this cost is not an act of charity, but rather a step toward protecting ourselves and preventing this virus from spreading further and returning in mutated forms.”
He added: “The cost of this is 30 pence (43 cents) per week for each person in Britain. This is a very small price to pay for obtaining the best health insurance in the world.”
The appeal from one hundred former world leaders is being released simultaneously with a survey conducted by the charity organization “Save the Children.”
This survey shows that the G7’s assumption and payment of global COVID-19 vaccination costs enjoys strong support in public opinion in the United States, Britain, Germany, and France.
Source: DW
