G20 leaders’ statement on COVID-19
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The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic is a powerful reminder of our
interconnectedness and vulnerabilities. The virus respects no
borders. Combatting this pandemic calls for a transparent, robust,
coordinated, large-scale and science-based global response in the
spirit of solidarity. We are strongly committed to presenting a
united front against this common threat. We are deeply
saddened by the tragic loss of life and the suffering faced by
people around the...Request free trial
The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic is a powerful reminder of our
interconnectedness and
vulnerabilities. The virus respects no borders. Combatting this
pandemic calls for a transparent, robust,
coordinated, large-scale and science-based global response in the
spirit of solidarity. We are strongly
committed to presenting a united front against this common
threat.
We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and the
suffering faced by people around the world.
Tackling the pandemic and its intertwined health, social and
economic impacts is our absolute priority.
We express our gratitude and support to all frontline health
workers as we continue to fight the
pandemic.
The G20 is committed to do whatever it takes to overcome the
pandemic, along with the World Health
Organization (WHO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank
Group (WBG), United Nations
(UN), and other international organizations, working within their
existing mandates. We are determined
to spare no effort, both individually and collectively, to:
Fighting the Pandemic
We commit to take all necessary health measures and seek to
ensure adequate financing to contain
the pandemic and protect people, especially the most vulnerable.
We will share timely and transparent
information; exchange epidemiological and clinical data; share
materials necessary for research and
development; and strengthen health systems globally, including
through supporting the full
implementation of the WHO International Health Regulations (IHR
2005). We will expand
manufacturing capacity to meet the increasing needs for medical
supplies and ensure these are made
widely available, at an affordable price, on an equitable basis,
where they are most needed and as
quickly as possible. We stress the importance of responsible
communication to the public during this
global health crisis. We task our Health Ministers to meet as
needed to share national best practices
and develop a set of G20 urgent actions on jointly combatting the
pandemic by their ministerial
meeting in April.
We fully support and commit to further strengthen the WHO’s
mandate in coordinating the
international fight against the pandemic, including the
protection of front-line health workers, delivery
of medical supplies, especially diagnostic tools, treatments,
medicines, and vaccines. We acknowledge
the necessity of urgent short-term actions to step up the global
efforts to fight the COVID-19 crisis. We
will quickly work together and with stakeholders to close the
financing gap in the WHO Strategic
Preparedness and Response Plan. We further commit to provide
immediate resources to the WHO’s
COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, the Coalition for Epidemic
Preparedness and Innovation (CEPI)
and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, on a voluntary basis. We call
upon all countries, international
organizations, the private sector, philanthropies, and
individuals to contribute to these efforts.
To safeguard the future, we commit to strengthen national,
regional, and global capacities to respond
to potential infectious disease outbreaks by substantially
increasing our epidemic preparedness
spending. This will enhance the protection of everyone,
especially vulnerable groups that are
disproportionately affected by infectious diseases. We further
commit to work together to increase
research and development funding for vaccines and medicines,
leverage digital technologies, and
strengthen scientific international cooperation. We will bolster
our coordination, including with the
private sector, towards rapid development, manufacturing and
distribution of diagnostics, antiviral
medicines, and vaccines, adhering to the objectives of efficacy,
safety, equity, accessibility, and
affordability.
We ask the WHO, in cooperation with relevant organizations, to
assess gaps in pandemic preparedness
and report to a joint meeting of Finance and Health Ministers in
the coming months, with a view to
establish a global initiative on pandemic preparedness and
response. This initiative will capitalize on
existing programs to align priorities in global preparedness and
act as a universal, efficient, sustained
funding and coordination platform to accelerate the development
and delivery of vaccines, diagnostics
and treatments.
Safeguarding the Global Economy
We commit to do whatever it takes and to use all available policy
tools to minimize the economic and
social damage from the pandemic, restore global growth, maintain
market stability, and strengthen
resilience.
We are currently undertaking immediate and vigorous measures to
support our economies; protect
workers, businesses—especially micro-, small and medium-sized
enterprises—and the sectors most
affected; and shield the vulnerable through adequate social
protection. We are injecting over $5 trillion
into the global economy, as part of targeted fiscal policy,
economic measures, and guarantee schemes
to counteract the social, economic and financial impacts of the
pandemic.
We will continue to conduct bold and large-scale fiscal support.
Collective G20 action will amplify its
impact, ensure coherence, and harness synergies. The magnitude
and scope of this response will get
the global economy back on its feet and set a strong basis for
the protection of jobs and the recovery
of growth. We ask our Finance Ministers and Central Bank
Governors to coordinate on a regular basis
to develop a G20 action plan in response to COVID-19 and work
closely with international organizations
to swiftly deliver the appropriate international financial
assistance.
We support the extraordinary measures taken by central banks
consistent with their mandates. Central
banks have acted to support the flow of credit to households and
businesses, promote financial
stability, and enhance liquidity in global markets. We welcome
the extension of swap lines that our
central banks have undertaken. We also support regulatory and
supervisory measures taken to ensure
that the financial system continues to support the economy and
welcome the Financial Stability Board’s
(FSB) announced coordination of such measures.
We also welcome the steps taken by the IMF and the WBG to support
countries in need using all
instruments to the fullest extent as part of a coordinated global
response and ask them to regularly
update the G20 on the impacts of the pandemic, their response,
and policy recommendations. We will
continue to address risks of debt vulnerabilities in low-income
countries due to the pandemic. We also
ask the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) to monitor the pandemic’s impact on
employment.
Addressing International Trade Disruptions
Consistent with the needs of our citizens, we will work to ensure
the flow of vital medical supplies,
critical agricultural products, and other goods and services
across borders, and work to resolve
disruptions to the global supply chains, to support the health
and well-being of all people.
We commit to continue working together to facilitate
international trade and coordinate responses in
ways that avoid unnecessary interference with international
traffic and trade. Emergency measures
aimed at protecting health will be targeted, proportionate,
transparent, and temporary. We task our
Trade Ministers to assess the impact of the pandemic on trade.
We reiterate our goal to realize a free, fair,
non-discriminatory, transparent, predictable and stable trade
and investment environment, and to keep our markets open.
Enhancing Global Cooperation
We will work swiftly and decisively with the front-line
international organizations, notably the WHO,
IMF, WBG, and multilateral and regional development banks to
deploy a robust, coherent, coordinated,
and rapid financial package and to address any gaps in their
toolkit. We stand ready to strengthen the
global financial safety nets. We call upon all these
organizations to further step up coordination of their
actions, including with the private sector, to support emerging
and developing countries facing the
health, economic, and social shocks of COVID-19.
We are gravely concerned with the serious risks posed to all
countries, particularly developing and least
developed countries, and notably in Africa and small island
states, where health systems and economies
may be less able to cope with the challenge, as well as the
particular risk faced by refugees and
displaced persons. We consider that consolidating Africa’s health
defence is a key for the resilience of
global health. We will strengthen capacity building and technical
assistance, especially to at-risk
communities. We stand ready to mobilize development and
humanitarian financing.
We task our top relevant officials to coordinate closely in
support of the global efforts to counter the
pandemic’s impacts, including through proportionate border
management measures in accordance
with national regulations and to provide assistance where
necessary to repatriate citizens.
We value the efforts to safeguard our people’s health through the
postponement of major public
events, in particular the decision by the International Olympic
Committee to reschedule the Olympic
Games to a date no later than summer 2021. We commend Japan’s
determination to host the Olympic
and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 in their complete form as a
symbol of human resilience.
We stand ready to react promptly and take any further action that
may be required. We express our
readiness to convene again as the situation requires. Global
action, solidarity and international
cooperation are more than ever necessary to address this
pandemic. We are confident that, working
closely together, we will overcome this. We will protect human
life, restore global economic stability,
and lay out solid foundations for strong, sustainable, balanced
and inclusive growth.
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