Canada’s aid and development assistance in response to the COVID‑19 pandemic

The COVID‑19 pandemic is a global threat that does not recognize borders. It will only be overcome through coordinated global action. Canada remains committed to a robust global effort to stop COVID‑19 and address its devastating health, social, economic and security impacts on people around the world.

Canada knows that this global crisis has increased inequalities and reversed development gains. This particularly impacts women and children who already experience poverty, exclusion and/or marginalization more severely. As a part of Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy, Canada’s response includes a particular focus on supporting:

• the world’s poorest and most marginalized people
• education, health, nutrition and sexual and reproductive health and rights
• the different needs of women and girls

Since February 2020, Canada has committed $3.4 billion in international assistance in response to COVID-19. This includes:

• Over $2 billion for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-Accelerator)
• Approximately $1.4 billion for humanitarian and development assistance programming to respond to the immediate needs created by the pandemic

Canada has prioritized support across all pillars of the ACT-Accelerator, including the health systems and response connector, recognizing that, in addition to vaccines, a strong public health response requires robust testing, access to available treatments – including oxygen – and strong systems to ensure their effective delivery.

In addition, in April 2020 Canada extended a $1-billion loan to the International Monetary Fund’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust in relation to the COVID‑19 pandemic. Since May 2020, Canada has also provided more than $70 million in temporary debt service relief for the poorest countries through the G20 and Paris Club agreed Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI).

On October 30, 2021, at the G20 Leaders’ Summit, the Prime Minister announced that Canada will channel $3.7 billion, or 20 per cent of its newly allocated International Monetary Fund Special Drawing Rights, to support low-income and other vulnerable countries. As part of this, the Prime Minister announced that approximately $982 million would be distributed to the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust.

On September 21, 2022, Canada also announced a $1.21 billion contribution to the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB, and Malaria . This funding will help to mitigate the devastating impact of COVID-19 on efforts to combat the three diseases; save 20 million lives by 2025; and get health systems back on track to eradicate AIDS, TB and malaria by 2030. 

Equitable access to vaccines, tests and treatments

Canada was an early supporter of the ACT-Accelerator, joining the ACT-Accelerator on May 4, 2020. This global partnership ensures that people worldwide have equal and affordable access to COVID 19 health products like:

• vaccines
• tests for diagnosing COVID‑19
• treatments, therapies and drugs (therapeutics)

It also supports people working in health systems and local community networks around the world who are on the front lines testing, treating and vaccinating people. These people and their health systems and local community networks are critical in defeating this pandemic and being prepared for when another one occurs in the future.

Canada is one of the largest contributors to ACT-Accelerator partners, with over $2 billion committed to date, making Canada one of only three-countries to meet its fair share in 2021 and 2022.

On June 22, 2022, Canada announced $200 million in funding for a new signature initiative aimed at supporting vaccine delivery and distribution in 12 targeted countries, most of them in Africa. Canada’s Global Initiative for Vaccine Equity (CanGIVE) will support country-led efforts to enhance vaccine delivery and distribution, increase vaccine confidence and generate demand, as well as support local production of vaccines. This latest announcement is part of Canada’s $732 million commitment to the ACT-Accelerator announced on May 12, 2022, by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

To date, Canada has allocated over $1.9 billion in funding to ACT-Accelerator partners across the following areas:

• Vaccine Pillar – $1.155 billion:
  • $840 million for the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility in support of: vaccine procurement, and delivery, distribution and the dose sharing mechanism
  • $90 million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) as the designated lead within COVAX for research, development, testing and licensing of COVID-19 vaccines
  • $10 million for the UNICEF matching fund that supports vaccine procurement, in-country vaccine delivery, and provision of technical support to health systems
  • $15 million to COVAX partners in support of South Africa’s Vaccine Manufacturing Hub
  • $200 million for the CanGIVE initiative partners to support vaccine delivery, demand and production in 13 countries
• Therapeutics Pillar - $290 million:
  • $230 million to UNICEF for therapeutics procurement and delivery
  • $60 million to Unitaid to support the procurement of approved therapeutic products, the optimization and evaluation of new therapies, expanded access to liquid oxygen, and improved oxygen infrastructure at facilities
• Diagnostics Pillar - $265 million:
  • $225 million to the Global Fund through the COVID-19 Response Mechanism
  • $40 million to FIND to support equitable access to effective diagnostics and expand testing and surveillance capacity
• Health Systems and Response Connector (cross-cutting) - $265 million:
  • $100 million for the World Health Organization to work alongside countries to reduce barriers and bottlenecks hindering the roll-out of vaccines and therapeutics at the country level
  • $25 million to the WHO to strengthen primary health care in the context of COVID-19 in ten countries.
  • $50 million to the Pan American Health Organization for the development, delivery and distribution of vaccines and therapeutics, including targeted support to Latin America and the Caribbean
  • $90 million to the Global Financing Facility’s COVID-19 Essential Health Services grants

The COVAX Facility

Canada is a strong supporter of the COVAX Facility, which is part of the vaccines pillar of the ACT-Accelerator. The vaccines pillar aims to accelerate the development and manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines, with the COVAX Facility as the global procurement tool. It unites over 190 economies to maximize buying power to support fair and equitable access to them for every country in the world.

The COVAX Facility is co-led by:

• CEPI
• Gavi
• the WHO

UNICEF is the key procurement and delivery partner for the Facility, alongside PAHO’s Revolving Fund, which provides similar support for countries in the Americas.

Canada has committed up to $840 million to the COVAX Facility to support the procurement, distribution and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines for AMC countries. This also includes up to $10 million for the design and implementation of COVAX’s dose sharing mechanism that is now serving as the platform for countries committing to share doses via COVAX – putting Canada among world leaders in contributions per capita.

Vaccine contributions

Canada is on track to meet our commitment to donate the equivalent of 200 million doses by the end of 2022. So far, we have donated the equivalent of more than 140 million doses. As well, we continue to allocate donations mainly through the COVAX Facility on an ad hoc basis according to country demand. This includes over 50 million doses deemed surplus from Canada's domestic supply and donated to COVAX, as well as more than 3 million doses donated directly to countries through bilateral agreements.

Canada will fulfill the balance of the commitment through investments in international vaccine-related activities funded from Budget 2022 and future donations of doses.

Canada is also investing up to $15 million in the COVAX Manufacturing Task Force, to help establish the South Africa Technology Transfer Hub. This initiative will help build capacity to develop and produce mRNA vaccines and technologies in the region.

More information about Canada’s international vaccine distribution.

“Give A Vax” Matching fund

On November 3, 2021, the Government of Canada announced that it would match, dollar for dollar, the full $9,675,928 donated by individual Canadians to the #GiveAVax Fund through UNICEF Canada. Thanks to the generous contributions of individual Canadians, the full $19,351,857 (total of donations and match) will cover the costs of vaccinating over 3.8 million people around the world. This includes the per-person cost to transport vaccines to destination countries, keep vaccines viable by protecting the cold chain during the journey and train health care workers to effectively administer the vaccines and safely dispose of needles and waste.

The matching fund campaign, called “Give A Vax,” ran from July 12 to September 30, 2021.

Related links

• Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine supply and donation strategy
• Canada’s international vaccine distribution
• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
• COVID-19 Announcements
• Contributing to the international response