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The Biden administration is planning a global COVID-19 summit for the U.N. General Assembly in September — a chance to regroup more than 18 months after the start of the pandemic.
Axios reported Monday that the White House is working with NGOs to plan a virtual summit during UNGA dedicated to ending the COVID-19 pandemic and preparing for future outbreaks.
Details are sparse — and there’s been very little, if any, chatter about this to date — but Axios reports that Biden will participate alongside other heads of state, philanthropists, and NGO leaders. The aim is “to rally the international community to step up its pledges for vaccine distribution and public health resources as the Delta variant surges.”
Far from a victory lap, news of a September summit arrives against a backdrop of massive vaccine inequality and systemic concerns about the viability of global vaccine sharing arrangements.
• The New York Times reported Monday that COVAX, the vaccine sharing facility, has been hobbled by — among other things — backroom squabbles with pharmaceutical companies over which countries should receive doses.
• The African continent is currently not on track to vaccinate 10% of its population by the end of the year, while African health officials say they were not consulted about COVAX’s goal of reaching 20% vaccination, according to the Times.
• The White House’s headline-grabbing support for an intellectual property waiver on vaccine technology has not yielded concrete results at the WTO. Gayle Smith, head of global COVID-19 response at the State Department, won plaudits for pushing vaccine producers to support manufacturing hubs in lower-income countries. But some want to see the U.S. government make more forceful use of its own patent authorities.
• The U.S. government’s donation of 500 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine through COVAX is starting to create greater supply. But funding for this purchase was drawn from the USAID budget that was supposed to support immunization campaigns, so now there are concerns about countries’ ability to actually get vaccines into peoples’ arms.
While we’re still waiting for a clearer picture of what UNGA will look like this year, my colleagues and I will be keeping a close eye on everything COVID-19, global health, and development-related in New York and online in September. Stay tuned.
+From Sept. 21 to 23, each day at 8 a.m. ET (2 p.m. CET), we will bring you to the 76th annual United Nations General Assembly to cover topics such as COVID-19, vaccine rollout and equity, SDGs, climate, global philanthropy, and humanitarian crises. Save your spot.
Drug problem
With antimicrobial resistance predicted to cause 10 million deaths a year by 2050, 144 countries have already formulated national action plans to address what’s been dubbed a “silent pandemic.” But now, Sara Jerving reports, governments have to actually implement those plans — addressing fake drugs, antibiotic use in livestock, waste from manufacturing facilities, and a host of other causes that threaten to usher humanity into the post-antibiotic era.
Devex Pro: Antimicrobial resistance: The silent pandemic killing 700,000 a year
Rallying cry
“It was only last year that there was a widespread racial reckoning when people of color had long understood racism. I think the same is true of ableism, but we have not had that reckoning as a society, certainly not in philanthropy.”
— Jen Bokoff, Disability Rights FundStephanie Beasley reports on worrying trends in philanthropic funding for people with disabilities as the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 and climate change continue to mount.
Read: Disability rights groups want funders to boost giving amid decline
Withdrawal symptoms
On Monday, the Biden administration announced an eligibility expansion for its refugee program, which will allow Afghans who partnered with the U.S. government but didn’t meet previous time-in-work requirements or other specifications, or who worked for U.S. media, or NGOs, a chance to emigrate.
In case you missed it, here’s my report on one of the technical limitations this new category is trying to address.
One of the biggest problems: People can only apply for these visas once they are outside of Afghanistan — an expensive, uncertain, and potentially dangerous requirement as the Taliban expands territorial control.
Read: The ‘arbitrary distinction’ leaving USAID’s Afghan partners at risk
Buy local
David Njagi reports that farmers in Kenya are battling fraudulent seed manufacturers over disappointing crop yields. One potential solution: Village startups that can supply farmers with quality seeds and fertilizers, provide field extension services, and secure their trust in the process.
Read: Village startups battling the fraudulent seed market in Kenya
Dog days
It’s not easy adjusting back to work at the office. Hopefully your workplace has considered a therapy dog.
In other news
The U.N. on Monday approved the creation of the Permanent Forum of People of African Descent to address issues of racial discrimination and injustice. [AP]
Médecins Sans Frontières announced yesterday that it has permanently shuttered its hospital in Port-au-Prince, which has operated for 15 years, due to mounting gang violence in Haiti. [France 24]
Local Sudanese authorities found some 50 bodies floating in the river between Sudan and Ethiopia in the past week, amid escalating violence in the Tigray. [The Guardian]
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About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.