November 23, 2020

Andrew Campbell 

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced on November 23 that the humanitarian aid organization has initiated coordination with more than 350 partners around the world, including airlines, freight operators, shipping lines, and logistics associations, about the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to over 92 countries. Director Etleva Kadilli, managing the Supply Division at UNICEF based in Copenhagen of Denmark, vowed to ensure fair distribution to low- and lower-middle-income economies countries and territories as soon as life-saving doses become available. 

UNICEF's action is part of arrangements in accordance with the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. The ACT Accelerator was launched at the end of April 2020 by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), and the World Health Organization (WHO), and other global organizations which develop effective COVID-19 vaccines and manufacture successfully in the vast quantities to end this global coronavirus crisis.

Accordingly, their joint efforts are called COVAX, formally known as TheCOVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility. Participating countries and economies joining the COVAX Facility will have access to COVID-19 vaccines as quickly, fairly, and safely as possible. Thus, in collaboration with Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), UNICEF has discussed the delivery and capacity requirements of 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine doses and sea-freight transport of the 1 billion syringes by the end of 2021.

Photo:Webshot.