<span style="color: #222222;">U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has kicked off an appeal to other countries to help inject $2 billion more to the U.N.-backed program to ship coronavirus vaccines to the world's poorest countries.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">  </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The United States is co-hosting a pledging and donor conference Thursday, bringing together four Presidents, three Prime Ministers and other dignitaries to help buttress the $6.3 billion already raised for the U.N.-backed COVAX program.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">  </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Blinken laid out a goal to raise COVAX's target of vaccinating 20 per cent of populations in the affected countries to 30 per cent, with the addition of $2 billion in funds. The COVAX effort has been providing millions of vaccine doses to 92 of the world's poorest countries.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">  </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Donors were expected to chip in either funds – Prime Minister Stefan Lofven announced Sweden was increasing its contribution to COVAX from $20 million to $280 million – or announce plans to share doses with the low-and middle-income countries.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">  </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Blinken highlighted the Biden administration's contribution of $2 billion to COVAX in March and its plans to add another $2 billion through 2022.</span>