FAQs

This campaign belongs to everyday people and any Australian organisation who believes we should stand in solidarity with our global neighbours who are ill-equipped to deal with this COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign was initiated by Micah Australia, the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and the Australian Global Health Alliance. It has since grown to a coalition of over 25,000 individuals and 200+ organisations made up of businesses, faith groups, unions, health bodies and more. You can view the full list of ‘who is with us’ here or add your organisation’ voice to the call to #EndCOVIDforAll - hello@endcovidforall.com.

We believe Australia can and should provide our expertise and leadership, and increase financial support, to end COVID-19 beyond our shores, because as unfolding events in our nation have shown us: COVID-19 is not over until it’s over for everyone. To this end, we are working to encourage the Australian Government to deepen its partnerships with our neighbours to address COVID-19 and increase its assistance for the world’s most vulnerable nations and communities Below is a summary of our asks explained in full in our report. • Contribute a fair share to the global COVAX facility by making an additional AUD 250 million commitment • Make a commitment to share 20 million vaccines through the COVAX facility • Commit to vaccine equity for all frontline workers and vulnerable groups around the world • Commit AUD 50 million to addressing vaccine hesitancy • Commit to regular public reporting of the delivery and administration of bilateral vaccine sharing • Make a fair share commitment of AUD 170 million to the Rapid ACT-Accelerator Delta Response Appeal • Establish a framework for responding to outbreaks in the Indo-Pacific • Invest in Australia becoming a vaccine factory for the region • Support the establishment of a technology transfer hub in the region • Commit to contributing to the long-term COVID-19 recovery in our region and around the world.

The breadth and diversity of our coalition of over 25,000 individuals and 200+ organisations (made up of businesses, faith groups, unions, health bodies and more) is being used to show a groundswell of public support for our global neighbours who are ill-equipped to deal with this COVID-19 crisis. With this show of support, we can encourage the Australian Government to provide vital assistance to vulnerable nations in line with the solutions we have proposed. Add your organisation’ voice to the call to #EndCOVIDforAll - hello@endcovidforall.com

COVID-19 will be with us for a long time and we want to set out a vision for what we could achieve if we come together. It demonstrates the interconnection between every person and every nation, and the commonly held challenges of this pandemic. It recognises that those challenges do not affect us equally, and that we need to lend a helping hand to those nations and peoples who are less equipped to tackle the virus if we want this crisis to be over for all of us.

After a challenging start, Australia’s vaccine rollout is looking much stronger, as is our supply of safe and effective vaccines, available for those who want to be vaccinated. In terms of other spending to support our neighbours in responding to the pandemic, under 1% of all national spending is invested in Australian aid. As a fortunate nation, we think we can help people at home and help people in our region, while also doing our fair share in assisting global efforts to tackle COVID-19. Furthermore, as we depend on trade, travel and tourism, Australia’s own recovery is linked to the recovery of the region and the world. Not only is it the right thing to do, but investment in Australia’s aid program is in our nation’s best interest to accelerate our pathway out of COVID-19. (Read more about the impact on Australia’s economy if we don’t act to end COVID for all in our full report)

While we acknowledge the challenging budget conditions COVID-19 has introduced in Australia, we believe targeted investments in new and additional aid expenditure to combat COVID-19 globally and in our region, is a smart and reasonable investment. It is vital to accelerate Australian economic recovery; enhance regional health security; and advance Australia’s global and regional interests and influence. (Read more about the benefits to Australia’s economy if we end COVID for all in our full report)

Yes, it is. In fact, Australian aid is already doing remarkable work in our region and beyond and has been doing so for some time. Our aid program is something we can take pride in as a nation. And so far in 2020 and 2021 – due in part to the efforts of everyday Australians adding their voice to this campaign – Australia has stepped up. In 2020, the Australian Government announced an initial down payment of $1.1 billion to help vaccinate our region, protect the vulnerable, and bolster economic reconstruction. DFAT and its partners, including Australian and local NGOs, successfully “pivoted” in 2020 to deal with the immediate impacts of the pandemic. Highlighted announcements to date include: • Commitments by Australia to share at least 40 million doses and procure another 20 million for our region • $130 to the Gavi-COVAX Advance Market Commitment to help ensure vulnerable nations can access a vaccine • $523 million to support the vaccination of the entire Pacific region and parts of Southeast Asia • $100 million to support ‘last mile delivery’ of vaccines as part of the Quad’s commitment to provide at least 1.2 billion vaccines to the Indo-Pacific • $304 million to help the recovery of Pacific and Timor-Leste • $485m to help the recovery of Southeast Asia These announcements are the right and rational thing to do – we are fostering a healthier, more prosperous region where nations and people can flourish. These announcements are a great start. But as the Lowy Institute has made clear, they don’t go far enough. Its modelling points to a ‘lost decade’ where the Pacific will struggle to recover even after mass vaccination. There will also be devastating economic consequences if we fail to act now. Even under the most optimistic scenario, we stand to lose between AUD 7.6 billion and AUD 33.7 billion of our GDP as result of inequitable vaccination and an unnecessary prolonging of the pandemic. To view our policy asks – outlining the next phase of critical investments we are calling on the Australian Government to make – you can read our full report.

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