Administrator Samantha Power’s Intervention G7 Ministerial Session Sustainable Recovery Session Part 1: Health and Vaccines

As Prepared

Hello everyone. On my 3rd day as Administrator, I can’t think of a more necessary forum to address a more urgent topic. Thank you for the warm welcome, Minister Mueller. I look forward to working with all of you in the coming years.

I want to begin by taking a moment to recognize the heartbreaking situation in India and the devastating spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths. The United States continues to do all we can to support the people of India. We have deployed multiple flights with life-saving emergency supplies, including oxygen, personal protective equipment, rapid diagnostic tests, and critical treatments. And more assistance is on the way.

With the pandemic threatening decades of hard-won gains across numerous sectors, from health and hunger to education and poverty, the humanitarian stakes—the broader geopolitical stakes—could not be higher.

Only through collaboration can we collectively overcome COVID-19, which is why the U.S. has already contributed an initial $2 billion to COVAX this year—with another $2 billion on the way.

We are also sharing up to 60 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines with partner countries, and to stress: we are exploring both multilateral and bilateral approaches to share many more vaccines going forward.

We want to ensure vaccines are provided to the world at scale and at cost so we can truly put an end to this pandemic and stem the rise of resistant variants. And we will be looking to intensify our discussions on how we ensure that this urgently happens in the coming days.

The United States is pleased to endorse the Equitable Access and Collaboration Statement. It is critical that G7 countries step up and demonstrate leadership on this issue.

We are pleased that the Government of Japan is hosting the COVAX Summit to drive fundraising this year, and the U.S. is committed to working with the G7 and other donors to mobilize even more support ahead of June.

While we all seek to respond to the crisis and emergencies, we also need to sustain the crucial progress we have made toward SDG3 global health goals.

I am proud to announce today that USAID is launching a new five-year award of up to $300 million to UNICEF to improve the health and well-being of mothers, children, and families around the world. This will not only help countries respond to the urgent needs of the pandemic, but also continue to address our priorities in preventing maternal and child deaths.

At this critical time, we urge all G7 members and other governments to join us in stepping up their support for UNICEF’s vital work. In addition to stemming this crisis—we have to support sustainable health systems to prevent the next one. The U.S. is committed to joining each of you to advance global health security—from developing early warning systems to increasing information sharing and sustainable financing.

The health of our families, our communities, and the people we serve across the world are depending on us. Thank you, and I look forward to our discussion.