The Open Society Foundations has pledged $30.5 million in support of efforts to address vaccine inequity and is calling on high-income countries to put an end to vaccine hoarding.

The commitment will support efforts to accelerate vaccine access and financing in Africa, the Asia Pacific, Europe, the United States, and Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as vaccine manufacturing for the Global South. According to OSF, wealthy countries have failed to make good on their commitments, delivering less than 15 percent of the more than a billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines pledged to lower- and middle-income countries, and more than a hundred million vaccines could expire by December.

The funding also will be used to strengthen accountability around national pandemic responses, support efforts to combat misinformation, and promote stronger safety nets for those who have been impacted by the pandemic, including women, people with disabilities, and other at-risk populations. The latest commitment brings OSF's total global investment in COVID-19 pandemic response to more than $230 million.

"Wealthy countries need to stop stockpiling doses, forcing the rest of the world to rely on handouts. Nations with means must do better," said OSF president Mark Malloch-Brown. "Among low-income countries, fewer than 1 percent of individuals are fully vaccinated. This is the generational moment that demands global solidarity if we are serious about eradicating this deadly virus."

"Amidst the many empty promises, there is still an opportunity to turn the tide on this pandemic," said Max Lawson, chair of the People's Vaccine Alliance, a coalition of organizations campaigning for vaccine equity and an OSF grantee. "To respond to this unparalleled global crisis, the Biden administration and other governments of wealthy nations must present a detailed and bold plan to vaccinate the world. This includes not only donating surplus doses but immediately and openly sharing vaccine recipes with lower- and middle-income countries — so that the rest of the world no longer need to rely on the whims of wealthy nations to fight this pandemic. This must be a people's vaccine, not a profit vaccine."

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