WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has welcomed contributions from Norway and Sweden to the ACT-Accelerator, which have taken both countries over their 'fair share' allocation.
Contributions of US$ 340 million from Norway and US$ 300 million from Sweden will accelerate efforts to get vaccines into arms, facilitate access to new treatments and ensure health systems can meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Norway and Sweden join Germany in having exceeded their fair share for ACT-A's 2021/22 budget, with Canada pledging to do the same. 'Fair share' calculations are based on the size of a country's national economy and what they would gain from a faster recovery of the global economy and trade.
In February 2022, President Ramaphosa of South Africa and Prime Minister Støre of Norway – in their roles as co-chairs of the ACT-Accelerator Facilitation Council - made a call to 55 countries to jointly support global efforts to end the COVID-19 crisis and contribute their 'fair share' to the ACT-Accelerator agencies' urgent needs.
These contributions from Norway and Sweden reinforce the strong support that both countries have provided to the ACT-Accelerator since its inception in 2020.
The ACT-Accelerator now faces a funding gap of US$ 11.2 billion, having received contributions totaling US$ 5.6 billion for the 2021/22 budget.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "I wish to commend Norway and Sweden for their commitment towards the vital work of the ACT-Accelerator. We call on other countries to follow their lead in contributing their fair share, and get COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments to those who need them most. We have made tremendous progress in reducing mortality and transmission. But cases are still on the rise in 110 countries. Our job is not over. We must ensure that all countries are equipped to fight future waves of COVID-19."
