? 2 June 2021
Virtual
On 2 June, the UK Government will convene the world’s first Global Vaccine Confidence Summit in an effort to drive vaccine uptake in the fight against the Covid. Misinformation continues to pose one of the biggest threats to global recovery from the pandemic by damaging perceptions of the importance, safety, and effectiveness of vaccines.
The UK is working throughout the G7 Presidency this year to improve access to coronavirus vaccines, treatments, and tests around the world, and vaccine confidence is a key part of that. The speakers will discuss ways the governments, civil society, and private sector – including social media companies – can tackle vaccine misinformation and amplify public health messages to improve vaccine confidence.
“Vaccines are the route out of the pandemic, and nobody is safe until we’re all safe. This UK-hosted Summit is a significant opportunity for G7 countries to come together with partners across the world to take action to maintain high levels of trust in vaccines and those that provide them. The monumental vaccination programme in the UK will start us on the road to building back better from Covid-19 and we must work collectively to ensure people across the world can reclaim their lives and livelihoods,” said Nadhim Zahawi, Minister for Vaccine Deployment at the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care, ahead of the Summit.
“I’m delighted to be taking part in the first Global Vaccine Confidence Summit because I know through my own work leading the Vaccine Confidence Project that no single government, academic institution or organisation can tackle this challenge alone. To ensure the high levels of vaccine uptake needed to help end this pandemic, we need true cross-sectoral input to build trust across the various relationships – from scientists and health authorities to business partners and communities. As we look ahead to preparedness for future pandemics, now is the time to think about building foundational trust to support vaccine confidence for the future,” said Heidi Larson, Founding Director of the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
The Global Vaccine Confidence Summit is an opportunity for the international community to build trust in vaccines, as these are key to a global recovery. No one is safe until everyone is safe.
The Summit will enable global partners to focus their efforts on vaccine confidence as a key driver of vaccine uptake; the role that insight and behavioral science can play in addressing the threat of health misinformation; and how global collaboration can deliver trustworthy communications.
