The World Health Organisation's (WHO) chief has asked for a commitment from all leaders to ensure the equal distribution of a Covid-19 vaccine when it becomes available — possibly as soon as this year.
Speaking at a two-day meeting of WHO's board, secretary-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed hope that the vaccine would be ready by the end of 2020, according to Reuters.
There are currently nine experimental vaccines being developed at WHO's COVAX global vaccine facility — a collaborative initiative which aims to produce and distribute US$2 billion (S$2.7 billion) in doses of the vaccine by the end of 2021, reported The Washington Post.
Under COVAX, rich and poor countries would come together and make a collective guarantee to vaccine manufacturers on the volume of doses they will order.
WHO believes this initiative will discourage hoarding and ensure that high-risk people in participating countries can receive the vaccine in a timely manner.
WHO is "ready to learn"
The board meeting also saw various countries, including Germany, the United Kingdom, and Australia, call for reforms to strengthen WHO, with three independent panels reviewing the United Nations organisation's performance.
Tedros acknowledged that WHO was "ready to learn" from the review and reiterated a desire to "change this organisation", reported Reuters.
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Top image from Unsplash and via Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus' Twitter page