A global summit to chart an end to the Covid-19 crisis and plan for future upheavals will occur on 12 May, the White House said, even as President Joe Biden struggles to get vital pandemic funding from Congress.
The virtual gathering will be co-chaired by the United States, along with current G7 president Germany, G20 president Indonesia, African Union chair Senegal, and Belize, the current chair of the CARICOM Caribbean grouping. "The summit will redouble our collective efforts to end the acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic and prepare for future health threats," the countries said in a joint statement.
This will be the second global huddle on the pandemic, which has killed more than six million people and triggered profound disruption to leading economies and trading patterns in the two years since it began to spread.
Mr Biden hosted a similar summit last September, at which he urged partners to surge vaccines and ensure that 70% of every country has been vaccinated by September this year.