Zurich Foundation announced Tuesday that it will extend through the end of the year its fundraising campaign to help UNICEF provide two billion doses of covid-19 vaccines. Until then, the Zurich Foundation is committed to matching funds raised up to 2.5 million Swiss francs (more than 2.3 million euros).

Gregory Renand, director of the Z Zurich Foundation explains "there is a global movement to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to be protected from covid-19 and we applaud everyone who has supported this movement, through our initiative or others. Every commitment counts towards providing equitable access to vaccination."

This commitment follows the initial donations made by the Zurich Foundation to help UNICEF provide more than 1.1 million doses worldwide through the COVID-19 Global Vaccine Access Facility (COVAX Facility). Zurich Foundation has also launched several local fundraising campaigns in collaboration with local Companies and Zurich Group employees around the world, inviting contributions from the community including Zurich suppliers, distributors, customers and the general public.

Carla Haddad Mardini, Director of Fundraising and Private Sector Partnerships at UNICEF, said, "As citizens in developed countries begin to return and resume their lives in a post-vaccination world, for developing countries the future is still uncertain, with the vaccination process slow and uneven. UNICEF welcomes this expanded commitment from the Zurich Foundation to continue to raise valuable resources and assist us in our mission to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to where they are most needed."

UNICEF and partners have been working on the largest vaccine procurement and delivery program in history to vaccinate frontline health and social workers, as well as high-risk and vulnerable people around the world. Through the COVID-19 Global Vaccine Access Facility (COVAX Facility) together with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, WHO and CEPI, UNICEF is leveraging its expertise, as the world's largest single buyer of vaccines, working with manufacturers and partners to procure and supply covid-19 vaccine doses.

Together with WHO, PAHO, GAVI and other partners at the global and regional levels, UNICEF is also working to support countries in preparing to start their covid-19 vaccination process. This includes assessing their capacity and helping countries strengthen their cold storage capacities and supply chains to ensure that countries have adequate infrastructure to transport and store vaccines.