Last Updated on May 13, 2020
Canada is sending $790 million to an organization founded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that works with the World Health Organization to make vaccines available across the world.
As President Donald Trump has frozen funding to the World Health Organization, Canada is sending nearly $800 million to an Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, an organization founded by Bill Gates that works with the WHO to provide universal access to vaccines, and the the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, an organization created by the WHO.
According to a press release from the office of Canadian Minister of International Development Karina Gould, the money will come in one payment of $600 million, followed by a promised $47.5 million over the next four years.
The Honourable Karina Gould, Minister of International Development, today announced new support to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s end-game strategy, toward ensuring regular routine immunizations for hundreds of million children around the world. The Minister made this announcement at the launch of the Group of Friends of Solidarity for Global Health Security virtual meeting, which she co-hosted alongside her counterparts from Denmark, Qatar, the Republic of Korea and Sierra Leone.
This replenishment funding ensures that Gavi is able to build on its incredible reach with vaccinations by identifying opportunities for advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights programming, in partnership with communities and local organizations. Predictable financing will allow Gavi to save between 7 million and 8 million lives.
Gavi is currently helping low-income countries respond to COVID-19 outbreaks, including making additional funding available for strengthening health systems. When a COVID-19 vaccine is developed, Gavi will be well positioned to ensure the scale-up of manufacturing, access and allocation, along with timely delivery, of new vaccines in vulnerable countries.
Gavi was founded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, and in addition to working with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, it also partners with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the World Bank.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative was created in the 1980s as a project of the World Health Assembly, a product of the WHO.
Canada is sending these large sums of money despite the WHO refusing to cooperate with Canada on including Taiwan in the World Health Assembly. The WHO has been blasted internationally for refusing to allow the independent country of Taiwan to participate in the World Health Assembly, despite the country having less than 10 deaths due to coronavirus. Many believe the WHO’s refusal to acknowledge Taiwan is motivated by China’s lobbying, as China refuses to recognize Taiwan’s independence, and instead considers it to be a province of the communist country.
China responded sternly Monday to efforts by Canada and its allies to allow Taiwan access to the World Health Organization, telling the coalition of countries to essentially butt out of its internal affairs.
Canada, Australia, France, Germany, New Zealand, Britain, Japan and the U.S. have called on the WHO to give Taiwan observer status at an upcoming meeting of the organization set for next week.
Taiwan had early success in controlling the outbreak of COVID-19, and Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne has told The Canadian Press that Taiwan’s presence as a non-state observer in the World Health Assembly meetings next week would help the pandemic fight.
Gates has faced intense criticism for his push to keep the economy locked down until a vaccine can be developed for coronavirus, and his many financial connections to Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, who have led the United States’ response to the pandemic.
Most recently, Gates, alongside George Soros, is behind a contact tracing initiative that has Chelsea Clinton on its board.
