BRUSSELS, May 4 (Xinhua) -- The United States is noticeably absent from the programme of an online pledging event on coronavirus hosted by the European Union (EU), which is due to kick off in a few hours and include a long list of world leaders.
The EU and its partners are hosting an international pledging conference starting on Monday afternoon, the aim of which is to raise 7.5 billion euros in initial funding to kick-start global cooperation on coronavirus. According to the full programme announced by the EU, every head of state or government of the G7 countries will take part except the United States, which does not have a representative named in the programme.
In addition to national leaders, representatives of international medical alliances and international organizations will also speak at the event.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, will moderate the event starting 3 p.m. central European time. The money raised will be devoted to developing and deploying effective diagnostics, treatments and a vaccine "globally available, appropriate, and affordable." (1 euro = 1.09 U.S. dollars) Enditem
