United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) tasked Group of Seven (G7) leaders with need for vaccine roadmap and green recovery financing and coordination agreement .
Ms Vera Songwe, UN Under-Secretary-General and ECA Executive Secretary, also called for questioning on the cuts in G7 aid.
ECA Director of Communications Nita Deerpalsing conveyed the message on behalf of Songwe at a press conference hosted by ONE Campaign on Thursday, according to an ECA statement on Friday.
The ONE campaign was with former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown; Director of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr John Nkengasong; Kirsty McNeill, Executive Director of Advocacy, Campaigning and Policy for Save the Children Fund; and the English rugby player, Maro Itoje.
Ahead of the G7 summit, the UN Under-Secretary-General shared the following three points, which reflect Africa’s expectations of G7 leaders.
The executive secretary echoed the need for a “historic vaccine roadmap where the G7 stops hoarding, begins to share the funding, doses and manufacturing capacity needed to ensure access to vaccines.”
“That would mean a billion doses donated at the earliest, with two billion donated by the end of the year; the fully funded ACT accelerator and African vaccine facility, and shared technology so that we can manufacture vaccines, therapies and diagnostics locally, ”she added.
Songwe’s second point concerned the urgent need for a historic green recovery financing and coordination agreement.
She stressed that it was necessary to take advantage of the special drawing rights of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the balance sheets of the World Bank, to respect the commitment of 100 billion dollars of climate finance and to double the individual commitments of climate finance of the G7 countries.
She further explained that this would ensure African countries have access to liquidity and concessional finance to invest in sustainable green jobs for young people and fight poverty due to the pandemic and its aftershocks.
The UN official’s third point was a questioning of G7 aid cuts, which have disproportionately affected and hurt African nations (reduced by two-thirds), disproportionately affected women (reduced by 80-90%) and have disproportionately affected the United Nations system. agencies.
“As an African, a woman and working for the UN, imagine what it makes us think of the UK as a fair play partner as we face these crises together.”
Songwe’s message included a call for the British Prime Minister to “listen to the conscience within his own Conservative Party and across the kindhearted British nation, and to deliver on his commitment to Africa.”
“It would be recorded; in history as having shown thought leadership on COVID-19 and climate when the world needed it most. “
G7 leaders are expected to meet for a three-day summit in the UK from June 11-13, to discuss issues focused primarily on the COVID-19 recovery, climate change and trade.
NAN
