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
Compass Pathways Announces New Employee Inducement Grants Under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4)3.9.2026 23:30:00 EEST | Press release
Compass Pathways plc (Nasdaq: CMPS), a biotechnology company dedicated to unlocking urgently needed new treatment options in mental health care, announced today that Compass granted equity awards under the Compass Pathways plc 2026 Inducement Plan to thirty-one newly hired non-executive employees. The equity awards were granted on September 1, 2026 and consisted of options to purchase an aggregate of 280,600 shares and restricted share units or, in the case of employees in the United Kingdom nominal cost options, covering an aggregate of 133,500 shares. The options have an exercise price per share equal to $13.24, the closing price of the Company’s American Depositary Shares on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on the grant date, and will vest over a four-year period with 25% vesting on the first anniversary of the date of the grant and the remaining 75% vesting in equal monthly installments over the three-year period thereafter, subject to each employee’s continued employment. The restr
Mainstay Medical Announces Two-Year Outcomes from RESTORE Clinical Trial of ReActiv8®3.9.2026 23:30:00 EEST | Press release
Mainstay Medical Holdings plc today announced the publication of the two-year assessment results from the RESTORE randomized clinical trial of ReActiv8 for the treatment of intractable chronic low back pain. The data show continued improvements in back pain-related disability, pain and quality of life in the ReActiv8 treatment group, and improvements after one year of ReActiv8 therapy in the crossover group that were indistinguishable from the improvements shown by the treatment group at their one-year assessment. The results were published in The Spine Journal, and the article is available free of charge here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spinee.2026.07.006. The study included 203 patients, with 99 randomized into the treatment arm and 104 randomized into the control arm. Patient-reported outcomes were collected at regular intervals to the one-year primary endpoint assessment, at which time the patients in the control arm were offered implantation with the ReActiv8 system. Eighty-three p
Lenovo Advances Hybrid AI Across New Personal and Enterprise Technology3.9.2026 19:00:00 EEST | Press release
Today at Lenovo™ Innovation World during IFA 2026, Lenovo unveiled a new portfolio of personal and enterprise technology, showing how its Hybrid AI strategy is moving from vision to practical experiences across devices, infrastructure, services, and the everyday moments that connect them. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260903555953/en/ Lenovo Innovation World at IFA 2026 The announcements bring together Lenovo’s “one personal AI, multiple devices” approach with enterprise technology that helps organizations turn data into insights and value. They span personal AI across PCs, smartphones, tablets, and wearables; creator and consumer devices that adapt to different ways of working and expressing ideas; and business technology built for AI-enabled productivity, collaboration, security, and scale. Lenovo also demonstrated how design and form factor remain central to making technology more useful: from high-perfor
Kaltura and Verimatrix Partner to Strengthen Security for OTT and Cloud TV Services3.9.2026 18:45:00 EEST | Press release
Regulatory News: This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260903384589/en/ Kaltura (Nasdaq: KLTR), the Agentic Digital Experience company, and Verimatrix (Euronext Paris: VMX), a leading provider of security solutions for a safer connected world, today announced a strategic partnership designed to provide enhanced protection for OTT and Cloud TV services. The partnership brings together Kaltura's scalable Cloud TV platform and Verimatrix's Digital Rights Management (DRM) and security capabilities. The joint solution, as part of Kaltura’s Marketplace, helps Telco’s, broadcasters, and media companies securely deliver premium live and on-demand content across a wide range of devices and operating systems. Demand for advanced content protection has grown, and Kaltura's Cloud TV footprint has expanded across Telco’s, operators, broadcasters, and media companies. Partnering with Verimatrix, a recognized leader in content pro
Bahrain Signs its Participation Contract for Expo 2030 Riyadh3.9.2026 18:45:00 EEST | Press release
The Kingdom of Bahrain has signed its Participation Contract for Expo 2030 Riyadh, marking a new phase in preparations for its participation in the World Expo. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260903144412/en/ His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, and Talal Al-Marri, Chief Executive Officer of Expo 2030 Riyadh, at the ceremony. The agreement provides the formal framework for Bahrain’s participation in Expo 2030 Riyadh, enabling preparations to advance across the key organizational and operational aspects of its presence throughout the six-month event, including the development of its pavilion, programmes and visitor experiences. The Participation Contract was signed in Bahrain by Talal Al-Marri, Chief Executive Officer of Expo 2030 Riyadh, on behalf of Expo 2030 Riyadh, and His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, President
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