The below is attributable to Spokesperson Rebecca Chalif:
On December 8, Administrator Samantha Power met with more than a dozen key nongovernmental stakeholders to share outcomes and next steps following the December 6 COVID-19 Development Ministerial meeting, as well as to identify ways to collaborate on donor coordination and resource mobilization. Administrator Power briefed the partners on the new Initiative for Global Vaccine Access (Global VAX), which she announced at the Ministerial. Global VAX will be supported by funding from a new U.S. commitment of $400 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds, which will bring total U. S. investments in COVID-19 vaccine readiness to over $1.6 billion. A portion of the new funding will also support vaccine manufacturing and other frontline surge support needed to save lives. NGO partners shared perspectives on ways USAID can partner with their organizations in the next phase of pandemic response and ahead of the next Global COVID-19 Summit in 2022.