Tetra Laval donates 10 million Euros to support UNICEF’s efforts in the global delivery of COVID-19 vaccines

GENEVA, 21 December 2021 – Tetra Laval announced today a 10-million Euro contribution in support of UNICEF’s work to deliver COVID-19 vaccines globally. The donation will contribute to UNICEF’s efforts to strengthen global vaccine equity, especially in lower-income countries.

Since early 2021, UNICEF has delivered more than 700 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 144 countries around the world on behalf of the COVAX Facility. In addition, UNICEF has been providing in-country technical and financial support in over 130 countries to help turn vaccines into vaccinations, as well as working with partners, governments and communities to address the stark inequalities across the globe in accessing life-saving COVID-19 vaccines, tests, treatments and protective equipment.

On 14 November 2021 at the Bheri Zonal Hospital in Banke District in western Nepal, a healthworker administers the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine – donated by the US Government to Nepal through the COVAX Facility – to a young patient. A total of 100,620 doses of the vaccine were provided as part of the consignment, the first time the Pfizer BioNTech vaccines have been administered in Nepal, targeted at all persons above the age of 12 with comorbidities.

“The lives of millions of children have been put on hold in the past two years as the pandemic shuttered schools, disrupted health services, and kept children away from friends and extended family. Children want their lives back,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “Equal access to vaccines for all countries is the surest pathway out of the pandemic. We thank Tetra Laval and all our donors for sharing this belief and hope that their support inspires other organizations, businesses and individuals to be as generous.”

“Science tells us that we will only defeat the pandemic if we reach a sufficiently high vaccination coverage globally. Making funds available to UNICEF and COVAX is important to us as it will contribute to the health and safety of many people and hopefully speed up the return to the new normal,” said Lars Renström, Chairman of the Board of the Tetra Laval Group. “We are a purpose led company, focusing on securing safe food distribution sustainably everywhere. We know that UNICEF´s invaluable job to secure vaccination everywhere will work in the same direction.” 

A woman is being vaccinated against Covid-19, in D’Accarville Health Center of Bobo-Dioulasso, in the Obassin region of Burkina Faso. Thanks to the US government, in support of the COVAX initiative, the government of Burkina Faso received on July 21, 151,200 doses of COVID19 vaccine. These vaccines strengthened the vaccine supply in the national campaign against COVID19 in Burkina Faso, particularly to reach internally displaced persons. For every child, health.

UNICEF recently launched its 2022 ACT-A Humanitarian Action for Children appeal (ACT-A HAC) calling for donors to support countries with the lowest vaccination rates, especially countries impacted by complex humanitarian crises. Aside from funding the in-country delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, the ACT-A HAC is appealing for $933 million to support the delivery of diagnostics, tests and treatments for COVID-19 patients, the provision of personal protective equipment for frontline health workers, and the strengthening of health care systems to fight the global pandemic in 2022.  

As the world’s leading children’s agency, UNICEF relies primarily on voluntary contributions from governments and its private sector donors including companies, foundations and individuals to help ensure every child in the world is given an opportunity to reach its full potential.

About TETRA LAVAL
Tetra Laval contributes to the lives of people around the world in many positive ways. Our three industry groups – Tetra Pak, DeLaval and Sidel – provide innovative systems that improve the efficiency, quality and safety of food production, processing, packaging​ and distribution. The Group operates in more than 170 countries, have 35 000 employees and had a net sales in 2020 of Euro 13.1 billion

About the COVAX Facility 
COVAX is the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, a ground-breaking global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO. Its aim is to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines, and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world. UNICEF, in collaboration with the PAHO Revolving Fund, is leading efforts to procure and supply doses of COVID-19 vaccines on behalf of the COVAX Facility.

About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children.  Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every childn, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.  For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org.

UNICEF does not endorse any company, brand, product or service.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Sohini Roychowdhury, Communication Specialist, UNICEF
Tel: +41 79 533 5264
sroychowdhury@unicef.org

Jörgen Haglind, Tetra Laval
Tel: 46 708 364610
Jorgen.haglind@tetralaval.com