Pandemic Response Report Card: United Kingdom
It has been …
… since Prime Minister Boris Johnson said "We owe it to future generations to build back better and base our recovery on solid foundations, including a fairer, greener and more resilient global economy."
Deliver doses
Low and lower-middle income countries still need nearly 4.2 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 2.5 billion doses by mid-2022. To date, 553 million have been delivered.
The United Kingdom has not published a dose delivery plan.
Fund the Global Response
We need at least $43 billion to vaccinate 70% of the population in every income category by September 2022. To date, $0 billion has been committed. Country shares will be available soon and governments should act fast to fill this funding gap.
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, $45 billion has been committed from all advanced economies.
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.
What’s next?
The UK has publicly supported the need for a coherent global response to the pandemic, including the economic crisis. It has pledged to recycle Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) to support vulnerable countries. However, the UK’s decision to cut its aid budget from 0.7% to 0.5% of GNI means that every new commitment for vaccines, the recycling of SDRs, and other initiatives comes at the cost of existing programming.
The UK has committed to share a total of 100 million doses, including 30 million by the end of 2021, placing the UK sixth among G7 countries. To date, the UK has delivered just 16.1 million doses. The UK must raise its ambition for both the volume and pace of dose-sharing. ONE is calling on the UK to commit to sharing 100 million doses in 2022.
The UK has only committed $1.1 billion of the $1.6 billion it was asked to pledge to the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A). The UK should commit to contributing its fair share of the financing needed to ensure that 70% of the population, across every income grouping, can be vaccinated by September 2022.
The UK has also committed to recycling 20% of its Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), including an initial £1 billion commitment to the IMF’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust. However, this funding will be counted under the UK’s aid budget, meaning that low- and middle-income countries will not see any net benefit, as other aid will be reduced accordingly. This contradicts earlier claims that the new SDR issuance would result in additional financing for the poorest countries. In 2022, the UK must commit to more ambitious SDR recycling targets and ensure this funding is additional to the 0.5% aid budget.
