It’s one of the causes closest to their hearts, and now, Harry and Meghan are set to attend an event this weekend that will promote access to coronavirus vaccines for all. The royal couple will be among the A-list guests at Global Citizen Live, a concert that will be broadcast from Central Park around the world. It aims to urge world leaders to adopt a vaccines equity policy, which would involve sharing at least one billion doses to third world countries and waiving vaccine intellectual property rights so that more doses can be made.
Harry previously spoke at a Global Citizen COVAX event in Los Angeles in May, which was attended exclusively by front line workers. He said: ‘We are at a defining moment in the global fight against COVID-19. Tonight is a celebration of each of you here. You spent the last year battling courageously and selflessly to protect us all, and you served and sacrificed yourselves with bravery.
‘The virus does not respect borders, access cannot be determined by geography. It must be a basic right for all. We must look beyond ourselves with empathy and compassion for those we know and those we don't. What we do in this moment will stand in history.’
Harry and Meghan also asked fans to donate to Global Citizen’s COVAX campaign on the occasion of their eldest son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor’s birthday. In a post on social media, they said: ‘Our world continues to be on the path to recovery from Covid-19. Yet too many families are still struggling with the impact of this pandemic.
‘While some places are on the verge of healing, in so many parts of the world, communities continue to suffer. As of today, around 80 per cent of the nearly one billion Covid-19 vaccine shots that have been given were administered in wealthier countries. While we may feel that normalcy is around the corner, we remind ourselves that in much of the world, and especially in developing countries, vaccine distribution has effectively yet to start.
‘We will not be able to truly recover until everyone, everywhere, has equal access to the vaccine. And with that intention, we are inviting you to contribute whatever you can – if you have the means to do so – to bring vaccines to families in the world's most vulnerable places.’
At the GQ Awards earlier in September, Harry presented a Heroes of the Year award to Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, Dr Catherine Green and the team behind the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, saying: ‘The Oxford Team have done their part. They are heroes of the highest order who gave us an instrument to fight this disease. They are our nation's pride, and we are deeply indebted to their service.’
Founded in 2011, Global Citizen's aim is to end extreme poverty by 2030.
