Hi John,

As the dust settles on the Global Week of Action to #EndThePandemic, we wanted to share some of the top highlights we achieved together over this incredible week.

With the help of ONE supporters (that's you!), activists, and allies such as The People’s Vaccine, Trinity College Dublin, The International Chambers of Commerce and Shipping, and many others, we took 71,197 online actions to help tackle vaccine inequality. From signing onto the Global Call to Make COVID History to emailing decision makers – you made your voices heard. 

Keep reading for some of the week's highlights from around the globe or check out our blog and video highlights: 

Africa

Activists across Africa took to the streets armed with placards, flyers, and loudspeakers to make their voices heard. Transit buses, bikes, vans, tricycles, highways, and lampposts postered with messages to end the pandemic took over city streets in Lagos, Abuja, Jos, Nairobi, Dakar, and Kinshasa.

Over 12,600 people endorsed an open letter written by African and European activists calling for a stronger partnership between the continents in tackling the pandemic and other crises. Signers include high profile figures, such as former Ethiopian Prime Minister and Chairperson of the African Union, Hailemariam Desalegn, the former President of France, François Hollande and others.

Activists in Dakar, Senegal met with Khalif of Tidjania, one of the most influential Islamic clerics in the country, while in Lomé, Togo, the African Union Club and a coalition of Francophone Journalists drove the message home on their Tuk Tuks and Motorbikes. 

Did you spot any of our branded vehicles in your local area? It's not too late to join our Spot The Bus Challenge! Just take a photo and share on social media using #EndThePandemic and tagging @ONEinAfrica.

Europe

With one eye on the African Union-European Union summit in February, ONE activists in Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands wrote to 516 Members of Parliament, inviting them to endorse the African and European activist open letter. Register to hear some of our activists speak during the Africa-Europe Week! Hundreds of supporters also wrote to EU leaders on the importance of vaccine equity. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to add your message too!

Activists from both Italy and Nigeria spoke about vaccine equity during a hearing at the Italian Parliament. Activists in the Netherlands delivered ONE’s petition calling for global vaccine access signed by thousands of people to a group of MPs.

ONE activists in Germany took part in a stunt at Berlin Central Station, distributing over 1,200 posters while Open Society Foundation President Mark Malloch Brown met activists at the Brandenburg Gate.

In France, over 2,000 billboards with calls to vaccinate the world popped up in metro stations and streets in 500 towns and cities across the country.

As well as taking over Westminster tube station in London with #EndThePandemic advertising and handing out branded masks and flyers to UK MPs on their way to work, activists dressed as COVID-19 viruses and vaccines hit up Parliament Square and delivered our petition from 126,844 ONE supporters to the UK government.

At Ireland’s Trinity Centre for Global Health, students lit up their campus in solidarity and made the front page of the Irish Times. The image was shared by Bono and Dr. Tedros to their combined three-million plus followers.

North America

We counted 1,043 ONE supporters in Canada who took part in a digital action aimed at the Federal Minister of International Development, Harjit Sajjan, pressuring him to share vaccine doses with developing countries. It's not too late to add your message now!

In the US, around 3,100 supporters and activists contacted the Biden administration and congressional representatives through emails, letters, phone calls, Tweets, and through local media calling for financial backing to deliver on vaccine commitments internationally. Photos from the Global Week of Action were even featured in the Washington Post and Forbes Magazine!

As we approach the third year of this pandemic, the world has spoken: it’s time for our governments and leaders to stop SAYING the right things, and start DOING the right things. So from everyone at ONE, thank you for showing up when it mattered, and playing your part in the Global Week of Action. Watch this space as we continue to call for a globally united response to the pandemic.