Gucci announces partnership with UNICEF USA to support equitable distribution of future COVID-19 vaccine
Building on our ongoing efforts to fight the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gucci is responding to the global call to support COVID-19 vaccine preparedness. On December 4, 2020, Gucci announced a US$500K donation to UNICEF USA (United Nations Children’s Fund) on behalf of our #GucciCommunity, to ensure the future COVID-19 vaccine is equitably procured and distributed in the most vulnerable communities around the world.
To mobilize further resources for this critical cause, we’ve also committed to match every donation made to UNICEF through https://gucci.benevity.org/community up to an additional US$100K during the month of December.
Over the past eleven months, COVID-19 has claimed more than 1.2 million lives, sickened more than 50 million people and resulted in severe economic consequences worldwide. Global equitable access to a vaccine, particularly among health care workers and the most vulnerable, is the only way to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, which is fueling a global human rights crisis.
To address our biggest challenge in generations, Gucci is turning to UNICEF, a longstanding Gucci partner and an institution uniquely positioned to prepare for what could be the largest, most rapid vaccination program the world has seen to date. Before the pandemic, UNICEF reached 45 percent of the world’s children under five with vaccines each year. It continues to be the largest single vaccine buyer in the world, procuring more than 2 billion doses of vaccines annually for routine immunization and outbreak response on behalf of nearly 100 countries, and has supported health systems strengthening for the past 70 years.
As researchers race to produce a safe and effective vaccine, UNICEF is leading efforts to procure and supply future doses on behalf of COVAX, the vaccine pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. COVAX is a massive global undertaking to ensure no country is left without access to a future vaccine, and it demands an equally massive effort to save lives.
“As the pandemic threatens the hard-won gains to protect and advance child’s rights around the world, UNICEF is working on the equitable global supply and distribution of a safe COVID-19 vaccine when available. UNICEF USA is incredibly grateful for Gucci’s support to help rally global solidarity on this work and their commitment to help every child survive and thrive.”
“No one is truly free unless we are all free: this also includes being free from sickness – said Marco Bizzarri, former President and Gucci CEO, Gucci. Now that a COVID-19 vaccine appears to be ready for use, the true challenge is ensuring that it is procured and distributed fairly. This is why, under the “We Are All In This Together” call to action we launched in March, we are today announcing a donation of $500,000 to UNICEF USA, to help in securing COVID-19 vaccines to the world’s most vulnerable communities. Over the next 21 days, everyone is invited to give their donations, large or small, which Gucci will match, up to a maximum of an additional $100,000.
This is a global battle, a global effort – continued Bizzarri – and the commitment also needs to be global.”
Here at Gucci, we are ready to do our part. Our donation on behalf of the #GucciCommunity will help UNICEF build the capacity of local healthcare systems around the world, ensuring that vaccines will be shared rapidly and efficiently with the most vulnerable populations. Funds will support UNICEF’s efforts to pre-position and purchase essential supplies, including syringes, safety boxes, vaccine fridges, cold boxes, vaccine carriers and personal protective equipment to keep healthcare workers safe. Our donation will also support training for millions of healthcare workers in multiple languages to ensure that they can safely meet the protocols for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Under the call to action “We Are All In This Together,” Gucci is mobilizing our #GucciCommunity and those who share our values of social justice, diversity, equality and freedom to stand with us and donate to UNICEF at https://gucci.benevity.org/community As part of a giving season matching challenge, Gucci will match all donations made between December 5 – 26, 2020 up to an additional US$100K.
Gucci’s partnership with UNICEF is our latest commitment to convene the global community in the fight against COVID-19. In March 2020, Gucci donated 2 million euros to crowdfunding campaigns for the Italian National Civil Protection Department and the United Nations Foundation COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. In May 2020, Gucci’s CHIME FOR CHANGE initiative launched the #StandWithWomen campaign, in partnership with Kering Foundation, to fund nonprofit organizations working to address increased gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Find out more about UNICEF’s work on the COVID-19 vaccines here.
Learn more about the Gucci x UNICEF partnership and make a donation that will be matched by Gucci: https://gucci.benevity.org/community
