Motion: Equitable Access to COVID-19 Vaccines for Countries in the Global South

Equitable Access to COVID-19 Vaccines for Countries in the Global South

Lodged by John Finnie Standard Motion 18 supporters

The motion

That the Parliament believes that, as the first anniversary of the WHO declaring a pandemic on 11 March 2020 approaches, it is more clear than ever that COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments will play a crucial role in ending the crisis and that the best chance of all staying safe is to ensure they are available for everyone; is concerned that, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, as things stand, more than 85 poor countries will not have widespread access to any vaccines before 2023; understands that production of sufficient doses represents the main obstacle to widespread access; believes with concern that intellectual property rules are restricting the global production of vaccines and that existing flexibilities in the agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) alone are not sufficient in the context of a pandemic, and calls on the UK Government to support the proposal by South Africa and India to the World Trade Organization (WTO) for a “Waiver from certain provisions of the [TRIPS agreement] for the prevention, containment and treatment of Covid-19”, which, it believes, would allow WTO members to quickly overcome intellectual property barriers to access much-needed vaccines and treatments during the global crisis.

Supporters (18)