At the international donation marathon for vaccines and treatments for the lung disease Covid-19, new aid commitments totaling 6.15 billion euros were collected. The EU Commission and Germany alone agreed to just over five billion euros at a virtual donor conference on Saturday. Other large donations came from the USA and Canada, for example.
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EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke of an incredible result. She had that Donors’ Conference organized together with the New York non-governmental organization “Global Citizen”. Finally, there should be a big online concert with artists like Miley Cyrus, Shakira and Justin Bieber give.
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Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) specifically promised an additional 383 million euros at the conference, while von Leyen announced another 4.9 billion euros in EU funds. “I am firmly convinced that vaccines, tests and medication must be available, affordable and accessible worldwide,” said Merkel in her video message on the German contribution.
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On May 4, Germany had already promised to contribute 525 million euros to the CEPI vaccine alliance, the GAVI global vaccine alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO) and various product development partnerships. In total, the donation marathon had raised almost ten billion euros before the conference on Saturday. The funds now promised by the EU Commission are to flow as loans and guarantees.
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