The G20 leaders called in the New Delhi Summit Declaration on Saturday for ensuring equitable access to safe and effective vaccines and medicines around the world, especially in low- and middle-income countries, and noted the need to increase the stability of health systems.
"Facilitate equitable access to safe, effective, quality-assured, and affordable vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and other medical countermeasures, especially in Low-and Middle-income Countries (LMICs), LDCs [least developed countries] and SIDS [small island developing states]," the declaration read.
The summit participants also stressed the need to focus on improving health systems, strengthening their resilience and continuing efforts to end ongoing epidemics, including AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, hepatitis and water-borne and other communicable diseases. The declaration also noted the importance of studying the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, the G20 called for increased international cooperation to combat drug proliferation, with a focus on data sharing and creation of opportunities for disrupting production and proliferation of illicit drugs, including synthetic drugs, the declaration read.
The G20 member states also agreed to create a new working group on women's rights, which is scheduled to meet during Brazil's presidency of the group.
