Mr President of the Republic,
We are 50 young Ambassadors of all ages, from every region of France, deeply convinced that access to health must be a right for everyone. That is why we are mobilised alongside ONE, an international advocacy and citizen mobilisation NGO. It is a global movement that fights extreme poverty and preventable diseases, particularly in Africa.
Since January, the COVID-19 pandemic has shaken our health systems, our ways of life, our economies and our relationships with others and the outside world. Conversely, this pandemic has fostered the emergence and renewed appreciation of unconditional solidarity between peoples. Helping the most deprived is what we know how to do and have a duty to do. This mutual aid is crucial and, more than ever, it must be international. Often overlooked, the poorest countries (notably in Africa) are heavily affected in climate, economic and above all health terms, with often fragile health systems. Today, 800 million people are too poor to feed themselves decently, further weakening their immunity. Africa imports 94% of its pharmaceutical products and therefore counts on our support. We welcome your initiative at the last G20 meeting and ask you to continue. The pandemic knows no borders; it is global. The response must be too.
In this extremely fragile health context, access to vaccination is paramount. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, plays an essential role. This organisation has been working for 20 years to improve access to vaccines for the most vulnerable, especially children. The French contribution has so far helped vaccinate nearly 41 million children, save 700,000 lives, and save more than $8 billion thanks to vaccination. As Gavi’s fifth-largest historic contributor, France must, today more than ever, rise to the current challenges and reaffirm its political and financial commitment by renewing its contribution.
During this World Immunisation Week, we are addressing you, Emmanuel MACRON, President of the Republic, because you will represent France at the fundraising conference organised on 4 May by the European Union and co-chaired by France. The goal is to raise $8 billion to fund research and development, production and distribution of the COVID vaccine and treatments for EVERYONE. We expect the French Government to make an ambitious and substantial contribution to the $8 billion needed to ensure the eradication of COVID-19, a contribution that must be additional to France’s support for Gavi.
During the Ebola epidemic, we saw a resurgence of malaria and measles in some countries; we must avoid a new epidemic emerging within this pandemic. It therefore also seems important to us not to turn away from other preventable diseases, which likewise require access to a vaccine. We reiterate our request to the Government and to you, Mr President, to renew the financial contribution to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, at €250 million for 2021-2025.
France must seize this opportunity to reaffirm its solidarity and international commitment in the fight against pandemics. The virus knows no borders. We believe solidarity should not either. We therefore count on the solidarity of all countries to adopt a global response to meet this crisis in a united way, whether it is at the end of the street or at the end of the world.
Please accept, Mr President of the Republic, the expression of our deep respect.
Ninon Beillard, Sarah Ben Smida, Océane Fourquet, Zineb Jaoudat, Manon Jordana, Edith Kouakou, Romane Mika, Manon Monod, Maya Pargade-Klitzke, David Reviriego, Romain Sion, Chaimaa Taib, Louise Thomas Leibengut, Lilia Touil, Vanessa Woerner.
30 April 2020
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