Vaccines are critical to ending this pandemic. It is a humanitarian imperative to ensure that lives everywhere are protected, not only those in a few countries. It is also a public health imperative—if COVID-19 is not controlled, new variants will continue to emerge and threaten even those who are vaccinated.

We need more vaccine production and distribution in every region and particularly in Africa. Part of the answer will need to be a relaxation of intellectual property barriers to the production of existing vaccines. This must be accompanied by a knowledge and technology transfer by the companies that have it, in the interest of saving lives.

There must also be a much greater donation of existing doses from states that already have sufficient amounts to cover those most at risk among their populations. Small, symbolic gifts will not be enough.

Dropping vaccines on an airport tarmac is not enough—we must ensure that there are adequate resources to deliver them throughout a country, including to people who are hard to reach. We must reach everyone—including migrants and refugees who are often left behind.

Part of this is securing the trust of communities. Without it, vaccination campaigns will fail. This cannot be accomplished by information alone – it requires sustained engagement at the community level to address vaccine hesitancy.

COVID-19 has hugely impacted the livelihoods of people around the world, including in countries with relatively few cases.

It is critical that recovery efforts address those who have been placed at greatest risk—for instance those who have lost their homes, jobs and support systems—and leave no one behind.