Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support Commonwealth nations with the roll-out of the covid-19 vaccination.

The UK is committed to rapid and equitable access to safe and effective vaccines. The UK has been instrumental in supporting the establishment of the COVAX Facility, the international initiative managed by Gavi, the vaccine alliance, which provides equitable access to safe and effective vaccines for 190 economies. High and upper-middle-income Commonwealth countries can access the self-financing window of the COVAX Facility. Low- and middle-income Commonwealth countries are eligible for support from the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC).

The UK has committed £548 million to the COVAX AMC, and is among its largest bilateral donors. Our commitment will contribute to the supply of 1 billion doses in up to 92 developing countries in 2021, including Commonwealth nations, vaccinating up to 500 million people. We work closely with COVAX partners, such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, and the World Bank to ensure that countries have the support they need to introduce COVID-19 vaccines. The AMC aims to start deliveries in the first quarter of 2021.