Pandemic Response Report Card: Germany
It has been …
… since Former Chancellor Angela Merkel said "The pandemic is not over until all people in the world have been vaccinated."
Fund the Global Response
We need at least US $52 billion to fund the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022. Grant financing by donor countries accounts for at least US $27.7 billion, or 53%, of this. Governments must act fast to fill this funding gap. To date, US $2.3 billion has been committed by members of the G20.
Dismantle Barriers to Vaccine Supply
Only a handful of countries have the capacity to manufacture vaccines. We need urgent action to share mRNA technology and intellectual property rights, and to adapt existing facilities and acquire the materials needed to scale up vaccine production globally.
Share SDRs for Economic Recovery
The pandemic’s aftershocks continue to devastate the economies of many countries. High-income countries must support more vulnerable nations with all tools available, including Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), an international reserve asset that can help support countries in emergencies. Rechannelling an initial $100 billion of SDRs in 2021 to low income and vulnerable middle income countries is a smart investment in a fairer, greener, and better recovery for everyone. To date, $60 billion has been committed from all advanced economies.
Due to limitations imposed by legislation and their interpretation by the German government/Bundesbank, Germany has so far not been able to recycle SDRs. Instead, this indicator collects information on other additional and commensurate budgetary efforts Germany is making to support economic recovery from the pandemic.
Ambitious Replenishment of the World Bank's IDA20
Deliver doses
Low and lower-middle income countries still need nearly 2.2 billion doses to fully vaccinate 70% of the population by mid-2022. To help close the gap, members of the G20 have promised to share over 2.7 billion doses by mid-2022. To date, 1.17 billion have been delivered. Note: in response to calls from Africa CDC to pause vaccine donations until the second half of 2022, scoring for the delivery of doses was last updated on 17 February 2022 to reflect how well donors delivered on commitments when there were significant constraints on the supply of COVID-19 vaccines. Deliveries and updates to published dose delivery will continue to be monitored.
Germany has not published a dose delivery plan.
What’s next?
Germany is among the strongest supporters for multilateral efforts to scale up access to vaccines in the world’s poorest countries. During its G7 presidency this year, Germany must use the opportunity to promote a more equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. It committed $2.6 billion to the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) in 2021. Germany committed to share 175 million vaccine doses by mid-2022. It has slightly missed its 2021 target of 100 million doses but is close to reaching it. According to the government, pharmaceutical companies have contributed to delays by not offering delivery schedules. Germany will not be recycling any of its Special Drawing Rights but it has contributed to economic response funds at the IMF and other multilaterals.
Germany increased its official development assistance (ODA) in 2020 and 2021, reaching the target of 0.7% ODA/GNI that the G8 agreed to in 2005. In 2022, the new German government must continue this level of foreign aid, including US$1.7 billion to the ACT-Accelerator and vaccine distribution in partner countries, and keep its promise on dose deliveries to COVAX and low-income countries. The new government should also lay out how it will contribute to the economic recovery of African countries and ensure it is equivalent to other major economies that are recycling SDRs.
