Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,
Ten days ago, President von der Leyen, President Macron, Melinda Gates and I launched the ACT Accelerator, a call to action to work together in an unprecedented way to tackle this unprecedented crisis.
I thank President von der Leyen for her leadership in hosting this event and for this incredible demonstration of global solidarity.
The world is facing an unprecedented public health crisis.
But we are better positioned than any humans in history to confront it.
Within two weeks of the first cases being reported to WHO, the world knew the genetic sequence of this virus.
The first diagnostics followed within days.
We already have early results from some trials of therapeutics.
And several vaccines are now in human trials.
The ACT Accelerator represents a unique commitment to work together at record speed to develop essential tools to prevent, detect and treat COVID-19.
But the ultimate measure of success will not be how fast we can develop tools – it will be how equally we can distribute them.
None of us can accept a world in which some people are protected while others remain exposed.
This is an opportunity not only to defeat a common enemy, but to forge a common future; a future in which all people enjoy the right to the highest attainable standard of health – and the products that deliver that right. Health for all.
I end my intervention by thanking the European Commission - a billion down, and I look forward to hearing from others and reaching the US$ 8 billion today.
Thank you, Ursula, for bringing us all together.
Vielen dank.