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Ahead of UNGA and Covid Summit, Nearly 60 Civil Society Organizations Call Upon Biden to Take Action

Dear President Biden,

We are writing to you ahead of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to urge that you take on a global leadership role and fulfill your promise of addressing COVID-19 around the world. We understand that during the UNGA, you will be hosting a global vaccine summit with participation of other world leaders where you will be announcing an admirable target of 70% of the world’s population to be vaccinated within the next year. Reaching this goal, however, will be impossible unless you and other world leaders take action to ensure equitable vaccine distribution.

While it is commendable that your administration has procured and distributed COVID-19 vaccines to other countries in need, we cannot “donate” our way to safety. The massive global shortage of highly effective vaccines can only be addressed by increasing production. As of this week, just over 3% of people in low-income countries, many of whom are also facing devastating surges from deadly variants, have received any dose of COVID-19 vaccine. COVAX, the global program intended to secure and distribute doses for low- and middle-income countries is failing. Recently, COVAX cut its forecast for doses available in 2021 by a quarter, driven in large part by wealthier nations stockpiling excess doses in lieu of providing these vaccines and funds to this global program. As your administration considers distributing third booster doses to a broader population of Americans, it must not ignore the equity considerations of such a policy in further delaying vaccine access to people in the Global South, many of whom have yet to receive even a single dose. Moreover, such an approach may also only further fuel the emergence of even more virulent variants, which thrive in unvaccinated populations.

To truly make America the world’s “arsenal” of global vaccine access, we ask that you immediately deliver on the following policies:

  • launch an ambitious global vaccine manufacturing program with other countries to help produce billions more highly effective doses within one year and support a dedicated financing line item in the Build Back Better Act committing billions of dollars to this effort;
  • use your full authorities to require the few firms with monopolies over effective vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics to transfer technology and production know-how to manufacturers in the Global South;
  • set an example for other countries by reallocating excess doses available to countries in the Global South via COVAX or regional procurement mechanisms; and
  • work with allied countries on a final text to speedily enact a temporary, emergency waiver of certain World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) rules that create barriers to widespread production of COVID-19 health technologies including vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments.

 

Attached are further details of why these four steps are critically important towards realizing the goal of vaccinating 70% of the world’s population within the next year. We also outline the tremendous capability you have to carry forward these policies to end this pandemic. Your leadership on these above steps is urgently needed to move the world closer to a future where the pandemic truly ends for everyone, everywhere. At the UNGA, we hope that you will not just offer more promises for these urgently needed policy measures, but that you will take on a global leadership role in implementing them. Short of such action, the pandemic will continue its devastation, driven by a lack of political will to truly engage in a global, collective effort to protect everyone, everywhere.

Sincerely,

 

 

Action Corps National Advocacy Center of the Sisters

of the Good Shepherd

Africa Faith and Justice Network National Nurses United
AIDS Healthcare Foundation Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
Alianza Americas New York Doctors Coalition
American Federation of Teachers

Connecticut

New York Trade Justice Coalition
American Jewish World Service New York Trade Justice Coalition
American Medical Student Association Oxfam America
Australian Fair Trade and Investment

Network

Plateforme de la Diaspora Tchadienne en

America

Bangladesh Krishok Federation Progressive Doctors
BARAC UK Public Citizen
CASA Rise and Resist
Center for Popular Democracy Salud y Farmacos
Congregation of Our Lady of Charity

of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces

SECTION27
Doctors For America Service Employees International Union
Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative

(DNDi) North America

Showing Up for Racial Justice NYC
Faith for Safe Water Social Security Works
Fondation Eboko Society for International Development
Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research SODECA- KENYA
Free the Vaccine for COVID-19 Sojourners
Global Health Partners Sukaar Welfare Organization
Health GAP (Global Access Project) The Episcopal Church
Hope for Future Generations The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society
Human Rights Watch Third World Network
IFARMA Foundation Treatment Action Group
I-MAK Unity Fellowship of Christ Church NYC
Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility Universities Allied for Essential Medicines
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns VOCAL-NY
Médecins Sans Frontières USA Washington Office on Latin America
Metro New York Health Care for All World Renew