GLOBAL INVESTOR STATEMENTIN SUPPORT OF AN EFFECTIVE, FAIR AND EQUITABLE GLOBAL RESPONSE
TO COVID-19
As of 16 April 2021, this statement has already been signed by 158 institutional investors and theirrepresentatives with over USD$ 15 trillion in assets under management or advice. The statement is still
open for signature.
As institutional investors with millions of beneficiaries around the world, we recognise and attach
considerable importance to the need for an effective, fair and equitable global response to COVID-19. For
this reason, we are concerned about the negative impact that limited funding for the Access to COVID-19Tools (ACT) Accelerator and uneven global access to health technologies (from vaccines and monoclonal
antibodies to diagnostics and medical oxygen) will have on the trajectory of the pandemic and global
economic activity in the coming years.
A study commissioned by the International Chamber of Commerce Research Foundation has found that
advanced economies that can vaccinate all of their citizens remain at risk of a sluggish recovery with adrag on GDP if infection continues to spread unabated in emerging markets. In fact, the global economy
stands to lose as much as US$ 9.2 trillion if governments fail to ensure that developing economies gain
access to COVID-19 vaccines. These losses dwarf the funding needed to enable vaccines to be procured
for everyone, everywhere – making a clear “investment case” for full capitalization of the ACT-Accelerator
and a coordinated global approach to distribution.
A different study commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has reached a similar conclusion:leaving lower-income countries without access to vaccines amid the COVID-19 pandemic will causesignificant economic damage that puts decades of economic progress at risk – for both emerging markets
and advanced economies alike. The report has estimated that the economic benefits of a global equitablevaccine solution alone for the 10 countries included in the analysis would be at least US$ 153 billion in
2020-21, rising to US$ 466 billion by 2025. This is more than 12 times the US$ 38 billion estimated total
cost of the ACT-Accelerator.
Given the pervasive health and social costs of the pandemic, we recognise a strong moral argument toleave no one behind. The two reports above highlight that empowering an effective, fair and equitableglobal response to COVID-19 via the ACT-Accelerator in 2021 is not only the right thing to do – it also
makes full economic sense. We therefore:a) Encourage world leaders in the G7, G20 and ACT-Accelerator Facilitation Council to finance theACT-Accelerator in full and deploy adequate funding to ensure fair and equitable access toCOVID-19 tools globally;b) Commit to work with the Access to Medicine Foundation on this issue and engage (bilaterallyand/or via existing collaborative initiatives) with our investee healthcare companies to promoteindustry actions supporting the mission and operations of the ACT-Accelerator (e.g., crossindustry partnerships to accelerate R&D and expand production, equitable pricing strategies,
voluntary licensing agreements); andc) Recommend that governments and international organisations explore the feasibility ofinnovative finance mechanisms for national and global COVID-19 responses, similar to vaccine
bonds issued by the International Finance Facility for Immunisation or social bonds for COVID-19
programmes issued by individual or multiple governments. These mechanisms could build on thestrong response by capital markets to ESG-labelled debt issued in 2020.
The International Monetary Fund has urged the international community to act quickly to make sure that
COVID-19 health technologies are available globally to mitigate the risks of virus mutations and address
what is currently a deeply iniquitous distribution of COVID-19 tools across the world.
We support this call for action. The time to act is now.
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SIGNATORY INVESTORS
Listed in alphabetical order by organisation name. Total assets under management in excess of USD$ 14 trillion.

a.s.r. asset management

CommonSpirit HealthIndecap Fonder AB

AchmeaCompañía de servicios de bebidas
refrescantes pensiones, F.P

Insight Investment

Adrian Dominican Sisters, Portfolio
Advisory Board

Congregation of St. Joseph

Jlens Investor Network

Coöperatie VGZ U.A.

Jupiter Asset Management

Aegon Asset Management

KBI Global Investors

Aegon Netherlands

The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company,
Limited

Aequo

Dana Investment Advisors

AkademikerPension

Daughters of Charity, Province of St.
LouiseACTIAM

Alecta pensionsförsäkring, ömsesidigtAlign Impact
AllianceBernstein
Alquity Investment Management Limited
Alternative Bank Schweiz (member ofShareholders for Change)
American Century Investments
AMP Capital
ANDA Asset Management Co., Ltd
Andbank Wealth Management SGIIC
AP7 (Sjunde AP-fonden)
ASN Beleggingsfondsen

La Financière de l'Echiquier

East Capital

Liontrust Asset Management PLC

Ecofi (member of Shareholders forChange)

Local Government SuperEFG Asset Management

M&G Investments

Egamo

Man Group plc

EOS at Federated Hermes

MediRisk

Ethical Partners Funds Management

Meeschaert Asset Management(member of Shareholders for Change)

Ethos (member of Shareholders forChange)

Everence and the Praxis Mutual Funds

Avaron Asset Management

Fair-finance Vorsorgekasse (member ofShareholders for Change)

Baloise Asset Management
BancoPosta Fondi SgrBank für Kirche und Caritas eG (memberof Shareholders for Change)

Länsförsäkringar Liv AB

Domini Impact Investments LLC

Australian Ethical Investment

AXA Investment Managers

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS
La Banque Postale Asset Management

Asset Management One

Aware Super

Kempen Capital Management

DNB Asset Management

Etica Funds (member of Shareholders forChange)

Aviva Investors

ISGAM AG

Fidelity International
The Folksam GroupFondazione Finanza Etica (member ofShareholders for Change)
Fondo de Pensiones de los Empleados deBanco Sabadell GMLondon LGPS CIV Ltd

Mercy Investment Services, Inc.
Midat Cyclops, FP
Miller/Howard Investments
MirovaMitsubishi UFJ Trust and BankingCorporation
Montanaro Asset Management
Mutualitat dels Enginyers MPS
NEI Investments
Newground Social Investment
NN Investment Partners

Fondo de Pensiones de los Empleados deBanco Sabadell MF2000

Nomura Asset Management

BanSabadell Pensiones E.G.F.P., S.A.
BANSABADELL PENTAPENSION EMPRESAFP

Fondo Pensione per il Personale delle
Aziende del gruppo Unicredit

Northwest Coalition for Responsible
Investment

BBVA Asset Management

Forma Futura (member of Shareholdersfor Change)

OFI Asset Management

Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG(Berenberg)
BlueBay Asset Management
BMO Global Asset Management
BNP Paribas Asset Management
Bon Secours Mercy Health
Boston Common Asset Management
Boston Trust Walden
CANDRIAM
Castlefield Investment Partners
Central Finance Board of the Methodist
ChurchForum Equity Partners
Friends Provident Foundation (memberof Shareholders for Change)
Fundación Finanzas Eticas (member ofShareholders for Change)

Nordea Asset ManagementÖhmanPædagogernes Pension (PBU)
Parnassus Investments
Poste Vita S.p.A.
Providence Capital NV

Future SuperRAM Active Investments SA

GAM Investments

Rathbone Greenbank Investments

Genesis Investment Management

Reynders, McVeigh CapitalManagement, LLC

GMO
De Goudse Verzekeringen
Groupama Asset Management

RobecoSan Francisco Employees’ Retirement
System (SFERS)

Church of Sweden

HESTA

The Church Pension Fund (Finland)

Hexavest

SANSO Investment Solutions (member ofShareholders for Change)

ClearBridge Investments

ICCR

Schroders

Coho Partners

Impact Investors

SEB Investment Management AB

Columbia Threadneedle

Impax Asset Management | Pax WorldFunds

Shareholders for Change

ComgestThe Sisters of St Francis of Philadelphia
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The Socially Responsible Investing Groupof 1919 Investment Counsel

The Maryknoll Sisters

USS Investment Management

Tokio Marine Asset Management

Vancity Investment Management

Statewide Super

Trillium Asset Management

Verve Super

Stewart Investors

Trinetra Investment Management LLP

VvAA Groep

Stichting Algemeen Pensioenfonds Stap

Trinity Health

Wespath Benefits and Investments

Stichting Pensioenfonds Huisartsen

Triodos Investment Management

WHEB Asset Management

Stichting Pensioenfonds MedischSpecialisten

Trusteam Finance

Zevin Asset Management

Tundra Fonder

Zorg En ZekerheidStorebrandSumitomo Mitsui Trust AssetManagement
Sycomore Asset Management

Unipol Group
United Church Funds
The United Church of CanadaThis investor statement is coordinated by the Access to Medicine Foundation, an independent, non-profit
organisation based in the Netherlands. It aims to advance access to medicine in low- and middle-income
countries by stimulating and guiding the pharmaceutical industry to play a greater role in improving
access to medicine. It publishes the Access to Medicine Index and the Antimicrobial Resistance
Benchmark. The Foundation is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, theDutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation, the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, AXA Investment Managers andWellcome Trust.
Updated July 2022
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