40 world and business leaders have pledged over two billion dollars and 54 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine doses in a push to create global vaccination equality.

The move is the latest push to ensure developing nations have sufficient resources to bring virus outbreaks under control.

The initiative was led by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who has pledged $800 million.

Suga says “to overcome the crisis we now face, we need solidarity and commitment”, which “cannot be met by one country alone”.

It comes as statistics show that more than 80 percent of vaccines administered so far have been in developed countries.

Meanwhile, developing countries have received just 0.4 percent of doses.