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Agility, Aramex, Hellmann and Kuehne + Nagel are among early freight forwarder partners which will deliver billions of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine doses by the end of 2021.

The four companies involved in the Hope Consortium cover 80% of the world’s countries and transported over four million tons of air freight cargo globally last year.

The Hope Consortium is a UAE-based public-private partnership, that has bolstered its distribution reach following a strategic agreement with leading international freight forwarders.

The consortium partners will help address the different steps of the logistical challenge, including ‘last mile’, with a capacity of billions of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine doses by the end of 2021.

Spearheaded by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, the Hope Consortium appointed these global transport companies based on their expert abilities and reach to safely and effectively deliver vaccine doses under cold and ultra-cold conditions (temperature bands 2-8° C, -20° C and -80° C) between transportation hubs, warehouses, medical facilities and other final destinations in over 170 countries.

This week sees the launch of TRANSFORM Survive & Thrive, an open-source platform that supports early- and growth-stage impact enterprises in low and middle income countries that are at risk of failure due to COVID-19 disruption.

TRANSFORM is a joint initiative between Unilever, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and EY.

Set up to improve the lives of low-income households, the initiative blends funding and bespoke business support to deliver market-based solutions to the world’s biggest development challenges.

Find out more here.

AstraZeneca has agreed to buy US biotechnology group Alexion in a $39bn deal, marking the biggest agreement struck by a pharmaceutical company since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The move will deepen AstraZeneca’s core focus on immunology, by bringing a pipeline of experimental drugs that target rare diseases as it races to develop a coronavirus vaccine.

In a statement, the two companies said, " Both companies share the same dedication to science and innovation to deliver life-changing medicines. The capabilities of both organizations will create a company with great strengths across a range of technology platforms, with the ability to bring innovative medicines to millions of people worldwide. The combined company will also have an enhanced global footprint and broad coverage across primary, speciality and highly specialized care."

Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook on Saturday called on governments and businesses to implement stronger climate targets starting next year, during remarks at the United Nations’ Climate Ambition Summit.

Cook did not call for specific goals during his remarks but disclosed that Apple is assisting 95 of its suppliers to transition to renewable energy, up from a figure of 70 disclosed in July. The iPhone maker earlier this year said it has become carbon-neutral for its corporate operations and set out plans to make its full supply chain and product lineup carbon-neutral by 2030.

The summit is being held on the fifth anniversary of the international Paris climate agreement and ahead of UN talks next year in Glasgow, Scotland.

Read Reuters article here.

The Gates Foundation has issued its annual Goalkeepers Report, tracking 18 indicators included in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In recent years, the world has improved on every single one. But this year, on the vast majority, the world has regressed.

The report analyses the damage the pandemic has done and is still doing—to health, to economies, and to virtually everything else. It also argues for a collaborative response.