Giving Compass' Take:

• European Commission (EC) — the executive arm of the European Union (EU), proposed a strategy to collaboratively accelerate the development, manufacturing, and deployment of vaccines against COVID-19.

• How can donors participate in global solidarity to fund vaccine research and collaboration? 

• Learn why global vaccinations are a high impact opportunity.

It’s quite simple really: the quicker the world develops a successful COVID-19 vaccine, the faster we can put the pandemic behind us. Diagnostics and treatments can help us gain ground. But immunisation is one of the best paths to actually eradicate the virus.

Global solidarity is crucial. Without collaboration now, there won’t be cooperation later — and that could spell disaster for an equitable rollout that ensures the most vulnerable people in the world have access to the tools needed to fight COVID-19 too. Otherwise, a vaccine may very well be sold to the highest bidder.

It’s therefore welcome news that the European Commission (EC) — the executive arm of the European Union (EU) that proposes and enforces EU legislation — proposed on Thursday its strategy to accelerate the development, manufacturing, and deployment of vaccines against COVID-19.

The EC’s strategy puts equality at the forefront of its work, prioritising the idea that nobody is safe until everybody is safe. It recognises that the hunt for a vaccine is not a European mission — it’s a global struggle.

There are three parts to the EC’s plan. First, it ensures the quality, safety, and efficacy of the development of a coronavirus vaccine, potentially within 12 to 18 months. It then focuses on leading the global solidarity effort while securing swift access for EU member states. It will also tackle equitable access, making sure a vaccine is affordable for everyone as quickly as possible.

Read the full article about Europe's vaccine strategy by James Hitchings-Hales at Global Citizen.