UNICEF and COVAX

Subject: IR

Context:

Amidst the race amongst individual nations to get hold of a Covid-19 vaccine, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will undertake the responsibility of procuring and supplying an effective vaccine to about 92 low and middle-income countries of the world under the Covax Global Vaccines Facility.

Concept:

UNICEF

• UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child.
• Together with partners, UNICEF work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
• UNICEF programmes focus on the most disadvantaged children, including those living in fragile contexts, those with disabilities, those who are affected by rapid urbanization and those affected by environmental degradation.
• UNICEF was created with a distinct purpose in mind: to work with others to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path.
• UNICEF upholds the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

COVAX

• Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) facility is a mechanism designed to guarantee rapid, fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines
• The goal of COVAX is to deliver two billion doses of safe, effective vaccines that have passed regulatory approval and/or WHO pre-qualification by the end of 2021.
• Earlier, as many as 75 countries expressed interest to protect their populations and those of other nations through joining the vaccine facility, WHO said in a 15 July statement.
• COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO, working in partnership with developed and developing country vaccine manufacturers.
• The shots will be delivered equally to participating countries proportional to their populations and deployed initially for healthcare workers.