## Joint Statement by the Heads of the World Bank Group, International Monetary Fund, World Health Organization, and World Trade Organization on the First Meeting of the Task Force on COVID-19 Vaccines, Therapeutics and Diagnostics for Developing Countries

_IMF News, June 30, 2021_

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Joint Statement by the Heads of the World Bank Group, International Monetary Fund, World Health Organization, and World Trade Organization on the First Meeting of the Task Force on COVID-19 Vaccines, Therapeutics and Diagnostics for Developing Countries](https://www.imf.org/en/news/articles/2021/06/30/pr21201-joint-statement-heads-wb-imf-who-wto-first-meeting-task-force-covid-19-developing-countries)

## Other formats

- [Markdown version](/en/news/articles/2021/06/30/pr21201-joint-statement-heads-wb-imf-who-wto-first-meeting-task-force-covid-19-developing-countries/index.md)
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## Bibliographic details
- Published: June 30, 2021

---

### Meeting purpose and context
- Press Release No. 21/201
- Date: June 30, 2021
- Conveners: Heads of the World Bank Group, International Monetary Fund, World Health Organization, and World Trade Organization.
- Purpose: First meeting of the Task Force on COVID-19 Vaccines, Therapeutics and Diagnostics for Developing Countries to track, coordinate, and advance delivery of COVID-19 health tools to developing countries and mobilize stakeholders and national leaders to remove critical roadblocks.

### Key concerns highlighted
- Many countries are struggling with new variants and a third wave of COVID-19 infections.
- Limited availability of vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and support for deliveries to developing countries.
- Urgent action needed to arrest the rising human toll due to the pandemic and to halt further divergence in the economic recovery between advanced economies and the rest.

### Task Force mandate and activities discussed
- The Task Force was formed as a “war room” to:
  - Help track, coordinate and advance delivery of COVID-19 health tools to developing countries.
  - Mobilize relevant stakeholders and national leaders to remove critical roadblocks.
  - Support priorities set out by World Bank Group, IMF, WHO, and WTO including in the joint statements of June 1 and June 3, and in the IMF staff’s $50 billion proposal.
- At the first meeting, participants discussed:
  - The urgency of increasing supplies of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics for developing countries.
  - Practical and effective ways to track, coordinate and advance delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to developing countries.

### Calls to G20 (urgent first steps)
- The Task Force called on G20 countries to:
  1. "embrace the target of at least 40 percent in every country by end-2021, and at least 60 percent by the first half of 2022,"
  2. "share more vaccine doses now, including by ensuring at least 1 billion doses are shared with developing countries in 2021 starting immediately,"
  3. "provide financing, including grants and concessional financing, to close the residual gaps, including for the ACT-Accelerator," and
  4. "remove all barriers to export of inputs and finished vaccines, and other barriers to supply chain operations."

### Transparency, readiness, and vaccine confidence actions
- To enhance transparency, the Task Force agreed to:
  - Compile data on dose requests (by type and quantity), contracts, deliveries (including through donations), and deployments of COVID-19 vaccines to low and middle-income countries.
  - Make the compiled data available as part of a shared country-level dashboard.
- Additional agreed steps:
  - Take steps to address vaccine hesitancy.
  - Coordinate efforts to address gaps in readiness so countries are positioned to receive, deploy and administer vaccines.

### Contact
- IMF Communications Department, MEDIA RELATIONS
- PRESS OFFICER: Alistair Thomson
- Phone: +1 202 623-7100
- Email: MEDIA@IMF.org
- @IMFSpokesperson

*Joint statement issued June 30, 2021.*

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## References

- [IMF COVID-19 Hub](https://www.imf.org/en/Topics/imf-and-covid19)
- [Policy Tracker](https://www.imf.org/en/Topics/imf-and-covid19/Policy-Responses-to-COVID-19)
- [Financial Assistance](https://www.imf.org/en/Topics/imf-and-covid19/COVID-Lending-Tracker)
- [Questions & Answers](https://www.imf.org/en/About/FAQ/imf-response-to-covid-19)
- [The IMF and the World Trade Organization -- A Factsheet](https://www.imf.org/en/about/factsheets/sheets/2022/imf-and-the-world-trade-organization)
- [Press Releases](https://www.imf.org/en/news/searchnews)
- [PRESS CENTER](http://presscenter.imf.org/)
- [proposal](https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/Staff-Discussion-Notes/Issues/2021/05/19/A-Proposal-to-End-the-COVID-19-Pandemic-460263)
- [https://www.imf.org/en/home](https://www.imf.org/en/home)

_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/news/articles/2021/06/30/pr21201-joint-statement-heads-wb-imf-who-wto-first-meeting-task-force-covid-19-developing-countries_