UK hosted Global Vaccine Confidence Summit -
As part of its G7 Presidency, the UK Government convened the ‘Global Vaccine Confidence Summit’ on 3 June, a first-of-its-kind event, bringing together global experts from across the public and private sector to build and maintain confidence in vaccines.
During the Summit, world leading experts at the forefront of efforts to build vaccine confidence and tackle misinformation about vaccines offered their perspectives on the critical global actions that governments and partners from across sectors can take to address the issue.
It was acknowledged that increased levels of vaccine confidence, accessibility and availability are needed globally in order to end the pandemic. One of the biggest threats to confidence in vaccines is misinformation, which can damage public perceptions of vaccine safety and efficacy.
Speaking at the Summit Matt Hancock MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, UK Government:
"Vaccine confidence is an international challenge and one that needs international action. At the G7 Health Ministers meeting this week, we’ll be talking about how to beat this pandemic worldwide and also how to beat the worldwide pandemic of misinformation and mistrust that can hamper the responses.
"We’re launching, leading and championing a Global Vaccine Confidence Campaign led by the G7 Global Vaccine Confidence Working Group with a mission to promote confidence and trust in vaccines globally."
Delivering a keynote speech at the Summit, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General at World Health Organization (WHO) showed his support stating:
"A key driver of vaccination is public trust. Trust must be earned. To succeed in vaccinating the whole world, governments will have to deploy a range of strategies and tailor them to each country.”
Helle Thorning-Schmidt, former Prime Minister of Denmark and former CEO of Save the Children International, and Co-Chair of Facebook’s Oversight Board, who spoke at the Summit said:
"We know a lot about vaccine hesitancy which means we should know what to do and do it fast. A debate in one country impacts trust and hesitancy in others. The world is a small place. As a global community we have to understand that no one is safe until everyone is safe."
Wendy Morton MP, the UK’s Minister for European Neighbourhood and the Americas, expressed the UK and its G7 partner’s on-going commitment to support efforts to ensure vaccines are accessible, available and trusted globally. Caroline Dinenage MP, the UK’s Minister for Digital and Culture, called for greater international and cross-sector collaboration to tackle the threat of misinformation.
At the Summit, the UK Government announced ambitions for its G7 vaccine confidence activity designed to support global cooperation and more effective responses on vaccine confidence and addressing misinformation globally//Release - VOI