No freedom from Vaccine Apartheid

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Hi John,

Today the UK government lifts most covid-19 restrictions citing the success of our vaccination programme as a main driver for relaxing measures. Over 68% of all adults in the UK have now received their second dose of a covid-19 vaccine.

We have distributed 23.2 million doses more than the whole of Africa. The UK has benefited from stockpiling orders and buying up doses. It is now standing in the way of countries in the global south manufacturing the doses they need to keep their populations safe. This is vaccine apartheid.

Led by South Africa and India, over 100 countries are demanding the World Trade Organisation agrees to a temporary suspension of intellectual property rules so that more manufacturers are able to start producing mass quantities of vaccines, tests and treatments to tackle this virus. 9 months on, a handful of rich countries – including the UK – continue to block this life-saving measure.

Take action to end vaccine apartheid – back the patent waiver.

Email the UK representative at the WTO

Tomorrow is the final informal WTO working group meeting to discuss the proposal ahead of next week’s report to the WTO council. While negotiations drag on, countries in the global south are gripped by deadly new waves of virus infections. Every day of delay costs lives. We need to take decisive action urgently.

Please join us in writing to the new permanent representative of the UK to the World Trade Organisation – the person actually negotiating at the WTO in our name. Tell the UK government we demand action to save lives not profits.

Take action now

Thank you for your support.

Alena Ivanova
Campaigner at Global Justice Now

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