Edwin Ikhuoria, Executive Director for Africa at The ONE Campaign said: “It’s good news for the whole world that G7 leaders are waking up to the importance of global health security. This is a lesson that has been 18 months in the making – at a cost of millions of lives. Our leaders can and must do better to respond to these crises and ensure there’s a plan to protect the whole world. As we have said many times now – in today’s interconnected world, none of us are safe until all of us are safe.

“It’s therefore frustrating that leaders are making declarations about future crises when the present one is still raging at many of our doorsteps. We can’t be under any illusion that we are out of the woods yet just because wealthy countries have implemented effective vaccine programmes. That protection is something that is still to be provided to billions of people around the globe – especially in the world’s poorest countries – and while that remains the case, the pandemic isn’t over for any of us.

“There are good points to this plan but unless the G7 declaration reflects that and is backed up with a genuine plan to end the current pandemic, backed up by real investment, it remains in danger of being a very hollow promise. And the blunt truth is that the rest of the world is going to be hesitant about working with the G7 on future plans when they’ve been left to fend for themselves when it matters most during the current crisis.”