The Rome Declaration Global Health Summit

May 21, 2021

We, Leaders of G20 and other states, in the presence of the Heads of international and regional organisations meeting at the Global Health Summit in Rome, May 21, 2021, having shared our experience of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, and welcoming relevant work in this regard, including that presented during the pre-Summit, today:

Reaffirm that the pandemic continues to be an unprecedented global health and socio-economic crisis, with disproportionate direct and indirect effects on the most vulnerable, on women, girls and children, as well as on frontline workers and the elderly. It will not be over until all countries are able to bring the disease under control and therefore, large-scale, global, safe, effective and equitable vaccination in combination with appropriate other public health measures remains our top priority, alongside a return to strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth.

Convey our condolences for lives lost and express our appreciation for healthcare and all frontline workers’ vital efforts in responding to the pandemic.

Welcome the World Health Organization’s (WHO) designation of 2021 as the Year of Health and Care Workers, and reaffirm our full support for the leading and coordinating role of the WHO in the COVID-19 response and the broader global health agenda.

Underline that sustained investments in global health, towards achieving Universal Health Coverage with primary healthcare at its centre, One Health, and preparedness and resilience, are broad social and macro-economic investments in global public goods, and that the cost of inaction is orders of magnitude greater.

Recognise the very damaging impact of the pandemic on progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). We reaffirm our commitment to achieving them to strengthen efforts to build back better (as in UNGA resolution, 11th September 2020), and to the International Health Regulations 2005 (IHR), which together will improve resilience and global health outcomes.

Strongly underline the urgent need to scale up efforts, including through synergies between the public and private sectors and multilateral efforts, to enhance timely, global and equitable access to safe, effective and affordable COVID-19 tools (vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and personal protective equipment, henceforth ‘tools’). Recognise the necessity to underpin these efforts with strengthened health systems, recalling the G20 extraordinary Summit of 26 March 2020.

Recognising the role of extensive COVID-19 immunisation as a global public good, we reaffirm our support for all collaborative efforts in this respect, especially the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A). We underline the importance of addressing the ACT-A funding gap, in order to help it fulfil its mandate. We note the intention to conduct a comprehensive strategic review as basis for a possible adaptation and extension of its mandate to the end of 2022. We emphasise our support for global sharing of safe, effective, quality and affordable vaccine doses including working with the ACT-A vaccines pillar (COVAX), when domestic situations permit. We welcome the June 2021 COVID-19 Vaccines Advance Market Commitment (COVAX AMC) Summit and we note the Charter for Equitable Access to COVID-19 tools.

Note the COVAX Vaccine Manufacturing Working Group, supporting the COVAX Manufacturing Task Force, led by the WHO, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), GAVI and UNICEF, that includes partners such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Medicines Patent Pool. We affirm our support for efforts to strengthen supply chains and boost and diversify global vaccine-manufacturing capacity, including for the materials needed to produce vaccines, including by sharing risks, and welcome the vaccines technology transfer hub launched by the WHO. We ask the Working Group and Task Force to report on their progress to the G20 in time for the Leaders’ Summit in October. This report will be informed by the WTO and other international stakeholders and organisations, consistent with their mandates and decision-making rules, on how to improve equitable access in the current crisis.

Applaud the unprecedented achievement of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines within one year, and highlight the importance of continued investment in research and innovation, including in multilateral and other collaborative efforts, to further accelerate the development of safe and effective tools.

Underline the importance of working with all relevant public and private partners rapidly to increase the equitable availability of tools and to enhance access to them. Short-term options include: sharing existing products, including of vaccines through COVAX; Diversifying production capacity; Identifying and addressing bottlenecks in production; Facilitating trade and transparency across the entire value chain; Promoting increased efficiency in the use of capacities and global distribution by cooperation and expansion of existing capacities, including by working consistently within the TRIPS agreement and the 2001 Doha Declaration on the TRIPS agreement and Public Health; and Promoting the use of tools such as voluntary licencing agreements of intellectual property, voluntary technology and know-how transfers, and patent pooling on mutually-agreed terms.

Welcome high-level political leadership for preparedness and response in relation to health emergencies. Note proposals on a possible international instrument or agreement with regards to pandemic prevention and preparedness, in the context of the WHO, and efforts by the WHO, World Organisation for Animal Health, Food and Agriculture Organisation, United Nations Environment Programme and others in relation to strengthening the implementation of the One Health approach through their One Health High-Level Expert Panel.

Beyond these statements in view of the ongoing pandemic, we set out principles and guiding commitments below. These serve as voluntary orientation for current and future action for global health to support the financing, building, and sustaining of effective health system capabilities and capacities and Universal Health Coverage to improve preparedness, early warning of, prevention, detection, coordinated response, and resilience to, and recovery from, the current pandemic and future potential public health emergencies.

These mutually reinforcing principles reconfirm our commitment to global solidarity, equity, and multilateral co-operation; to effective governance; to put people at the centre of preparedness and equip them to respond effectively; to build on science and evidence-based policies and create trust; and to promote sustained financing for global health.