IKEA Foundation Supports UN Campaign for Equitable, Global COVID-19 Vaccine Access
11.3.2021 16:49:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
Today, the IKEA Foundation announced its support for the United Nations' new "Only Together" campaign, which calls for fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines around the world.
"Scientists believe vaccination offers the best hope for the world to emerge from this pandemic, but only if everyone, everywhere has vaccine access. Unequitable distribution of vaccines risks further widening the inequality gap and endangering millions of lives," said Per Heggenes, IKEA Foundation CEO.
"Only Together" asks governments, businesses and philanthropies to support a global vaccine rollout that prioritises healthcare workers and ensures the poorest countries don't get left behind.
The pandemic is wreaking havoc on the world's most vulnerable communities. Over 130 million people sank below the poverty line in 2020, many of them from marginalised communities, according to UN data. Inequitable vaccine distribution could reverse decades of progress on poverty, healthcare and education.
"This isn't just an issue of morality -- it's an issue of global health," said Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications. "Viruses don't respect borders. Leaving parts of the world unvaccinated could lead to even deadlier variants of COVID-19 emerging, prolonging the pandemic and delaying the global economy from recovering."
"Only Together" is part of the Verified initiative, launched in 2020 to counter disinformation on COVID-19. Verified is a collaboration between the UN and Purpose, a social mobilisation organisation. Supported by an IKEA Foundation grant, the campaign helps volunteer "digital first responders" and collaborators disseminate accurate COVID-19 information.
Through its partnership with Purpose, the IKEA Foundation aims to cement public confidence in COVID-19 vaccines and rally funding for fair global vaccine distribution.
"Over the past year, we've all missed out on things we love. Millions of people have lost their loved ones and livelihoods to this deadly virus. Over the coming months, we have an opportunity to put the world on a path towards ending the pandemic, but only together can we ensure no one is left behind," said Jeremy Heimans, Purpose CEO.
About the IKEA Foundation
The IKEA Foundation is funded by INGKA Foundation, owner of the Ingka Group of companies. The IKEA Foundation is independent from the retail business with a sole focus on creating brighter lives on a liveable planet through philanthropy and grantmaking. www.ikeafoundation.org
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210311005179/en/
Contact information
Radu Dumitrascu, radu.dumitrascu@ikeafoundation.org, +31 655 69 85 70
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Taiwanese ensembles showcase erhu and ocarina at Prague Folklore Days23.7.2026 11:21:00 EEST | Press release
The Prague Folklore Days 2026 was held on July 17 and 18 in the heart of Prague, bringing together 56 international arts groups from Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Spain, the Netherlands, and Poland. Four Taiwanese groups took part: Hildebrand Yu’s ocarina band, the Shi-xian Huqin Orchestra, the Taipei Folk Orchestra, and the Four Strings Ensemble. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260722841530/en/ Taiwanese ensembles showcase erhu and ocarina at Prague Folklore Days Led by Huang Chun-sin, the official Taiwan representative band featured a diverse lineup of ocarina, erhu, and dance performers. Their program stood out among the European groups with its distinctive character and vivid stage presence. Hildebrand Yu’s ocarina band captivated audiences with warm, uplifting melodies accompanied by the ocarina and ukulele. Yu also performed “Twilight Waltz,” delivering a heartfelt piece of poetic expression, like sunlight
Taiwan Children’s Choirs Garner Major Awards at Hungarian Choral Competition23.7.2026 10:33:00 EEST | Press release
Competing against 36 leading contenders from 20 countries, four Taiwanese children’s choirs have garnered several major awards and top honors at the 5th Budapest International Choral Celebration, showcasing Taiwan’s cultural diversity and music excellence. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260722613876/en/ Puzangalan Children’s Choir and Yo Wu Wei Children’s Chorus join forces with international choral ensembles and orchestras to perform Mozart’s Requiem Mass in D minor, K. 626 at the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall of Müpa Budapest. With its pure, angelic voices and exceptional vocal techniques, Puzangalan Children’s Choir from Pingtung County won the top prize, Laurea Summa Cum Laude, in the Grand Prix Competition’s Youth Choir of Equal Voices, Folklore, and Sacred Music categories. In the Open Competition, Yo Wu Wei Children’s Chorus claimed three gold prizes in the categories of Youth Choir of Equal Voices
Evotec Selects Navan to Unify Global Travel, Payments, and Expense Management23.7.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
Navan (NASDAQ: NAVN), the global AI-powered business travel and expense platform, today announced that Evotec (NASDAQ: EVO; Frankfurt Prime Standard: EVT), the global drug discovery and development company, has selected Navan to manage its complete corporate Travel and Expense (T&E) program in its top global markets. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260722261092/en/ Global drug discovery leader partners with Navan to drive operational excellence and eliminate manual expense reporting A life science company that is pioneering the future of drug discovery and development, Evotec had historically managed T&E independently across different countries, meaning employees were dealing with a patchwork of different tools and manual offline processes. As part of its focus on operational excellence, Evotec is further streamlining these processes through one unified, easy-to-use platform that supports consistency, transpar
Freedom Holding Corp. Works With Ant International’s Antom to Simplify Online Shopping From China for Kazakhstan Consumers23.7.2026 08:30:00 EEST | Press release
On July 16, 2026, during a meeting between Timur Turlov, CEO of Freedom Holding Corp., and representatives of the global fintech market, the bank signed Memoranda of Understanding with Antom, a leading merchant payment and digitisation services provider under Ant International. The primary goal of this partnership is to develop innovative solutions to facilitate cross-border payments for consumers in Kazakhstan. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260722367119/en/ From left to right: Timur Turlov, CEO of Freedom Holding Corp., Leiming Chen, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of Ant International Antom will promote Freedom Bank SuperApp as a supported payment option on China’s leading e-commerce platforms. This move aims to create a seamless cross-border online shopping experience, allowing consumers in Kazakhstan to shop for Chinese goods and global brands using their preferred local payment me
Galderma Reports Record First Half 2026 Net Sales of 3.134 Billion USD and 24.6% Year-on-Year Growth at Constant Currency, Raises Net Sales Guidance for the Full Year23.7.2026 08:00:00 EEST | Press release
Galderma Group AG (SIX: GALD), the pure-play dermatology category leader, today announced its financial results for the first half of 2026. Net sales reached 3.134 billion USD, surpassing 3 billion USD for the first time in the first six months of the year and representing net sales growth of 24.6% at constant currency1. Broad-based, double-digit growth in both International markets and the U.S. as well as in all product categories, primarily driven by volume and complemented by favorable mix. Outperforming the market in each product category, with net sales growth year-on-year at constant currency of 12.1% in Injectable Aesthetics, 16.4% in Dermatological Skincare, and 67.9% in Therapeutic Dermatology. Demonstrating leadership in dermatology through ongoing geographic expansion and differentiated innovation, including Nemluvio® (nemolizumab), which generated 433 million USD in net sales, Relfydess™ (RelabotulinumtoxinA), which continues to ramp-up with approvals in 33 International ma
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom