UNICEF Spain and Iberia, with IAG Cargo as logistics facilitator, have allied to support COVAX, the revolutionary global cooperation programme designed to ensure equitable access to Covid-19, implemented chiefly by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), already the world’s largest supplier of vaccines to children.
Supported by IAG Cargo, which markets air freight carriage for all IAG airlines, Iberia will has promised UNICEF Spain to carry vaccines, refrigeration equipment, and other humanitarian supplies without charge. Shipments will go mainly to Latin America and some other of the 50 countries served by the Spanish airline.
In addition, Iberia and UNICEF Spain, which have worked together on child vaccination programmes since 2013, have extended through 2023 the agreement under which Iberia collects “micro-donations” from customers that are earmarked for these programmes and will now cover Covid-19 vaccines for children and adults. The extension of the agreement until 2023 was signed by Iberia Chairman Javier Sánchez-Prieto and UNICEF Spain President Gustavo Suárez Pertierra.
Customers buying air tickets on the Iberia.com website are invited to donate between 3 and 20 euros to help pay for Covid-19 testing, treatment, and vaccinations in the world’s poorer countries. The ticket booking platform Amadeus has also partnered with UNICEF in the micro-donations scheme..
On behalf of UNICEF Spain, Suárez Pertierra commented: “We thank Iberia for its strong commitment to this historic challenge by helping UNICEF continue to deliver humanitarian supplies, including corona virus vaccines, to every corner of the globe. The only way to end this global crisis is to distribute safe and effective vaccines quickly and equitably, to ensure people in the poorest countries are not left behind. Each step on this journey enables us to advance on the path to recovery for millions of children, youth, and families hit by the pandemic around the world.”
He added: “The support of Iberia, IAG Cargo, and the private sector in general, is no more necessary than ever to advance on the path to recovery. The virus respects no borders, and none of us will be safe until everyone is safe."
Iberia Chairman Javier Sánchez-Prieto said "this airline is strengthening our commitment to UNICEF to promote a more global access to Covid-129 vaccines, and we thank our customers for their donations in support of this cause.”
More than One Million Children Vaccinated
Since UNICEF Spain and Iberia began working together in 2013, more than a million children have been vaccinated thanks to the 1.1 million euros collected from Iberia passengers in the form of micro donations. These funds have helped support UNICEF vaccination programmes in Chad, Angola, Cuba, Afghanistan, the Democratic Replublic of the Congo, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, and Yemen.
In February, IAG Cargo joined UNICEF’s “Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative” to support the COVAX initiative to deliver vaccines along with essential medicines and equipment needed to fight the pandemic.
IAG Cargo’s chief in Spain, Fernando Terol, said, “We are proud to cooperate with the COVAX mechanism via UNICEF, and we hope that this agreement contributes to the gradual vanquishing of this pandemic everywhere in the world.”
Notes for editors:
About the COVAX Mechanism and UNICEF’s Role
COVAX is a revolutionary global cooperation mechanism with the aim of distributing two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine this year, of which 1.3 billion will go to countries lacking resources and those undergoing humanitarian crises. COVAX is the world’s response to an unprecedented medical and logistical challenge, in which the cold chain must be maintained, and both geographical and sociopolitical barriers must be overcome.
UNICEF, as the world’s largest supplier of vaccines, is the sold organisation with the experience, structure, and capacity for meeting this historic challenge. Accordingly, it has been designated to take charge of the procurement, transport, and distribution of these two billion doses by the end of this year. UNICEF is working closely with airlines and other allies to ensure that Covid-19 vaccines are distributed as quickly as possible..
The COVAX Mechanism is co-led by the Global Vaccination Alliance (GAVI), the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovation (CEPI), with UNICEF and the Panamerican Health Organisation (OPS) as key implementation partners, along with the World Bank, manufacturers, and other bodies. UNICEF is charged with procurement, transportation, and distribution of the vaccines to non-Latin American countries who are taking part in the COVAX mechanism.
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in the remotest corners of the glove to reach the world most underprivileged children. It operates every day in 190 countries and territories to help every child, and to build a better world for all.
About Iberia
Iberia is Spain's largest airline and leader on routes between Europe and Latin America. It belongs to the IAG airlines group and is a member of the oneworld alliance. Its mission is to be always the best option for travel. Along with Iberia Express and Iberia Regional Air Nostrum, it flies to about 50 countries around the world from its Madrid hub. In addition to passenger transport, Iberia’s business lines include air freight, aircraft maintenance, and airport handling.
So its customers may travel with confidence, Iberia has put in place all safety and hygiene measures at every point of customer contact, earning four stars from Skytrax for its anti-Covid-19 measures, and a rating amongst the 10 safest airlines from both Skytrax and Safe Travel Barometer and Skytrax.
About IAG Cargo
IAG is the air freight division of the IAG airline group and was created with the merger of British Airways World Cargo and Iberia Cargo in April, 2011. Now encompassing the cargo operations of the other IAG airlines --Aer Lingus, Vueling, and LEVEL-- IAG Cargo reached on all five continents.
In 2020 IAG Cargo, with a staff of 2,250, reported sales of 1.3 billion euros, reaching third place in Europe and sixth in the world. The IAG group is one of the world’s largest airline group with 533 aircraft at the end of 2020.
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