On October 25, a broad coalition of public health experts, human rights law groups, and organizations –including CESR, the Treatment Action Campaign, Minority Rights International, and more- submitted an appeal to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). The petition argues that the UK, US, Germany, Norway, and Switzerland are in violation of their obligations in terms of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) by opposing a TRIPS waiver before the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The petition demonstrates how the inequitable access and distribution of COVID vaccines, therapeutics, and other related technologies has had a disproportionate impact on racial and ethnic minorities as well as indigenous communities within states whilst simultaneously exacerbating racial disparities between states by reinforcing patterns of racial privilege and disadvantage between citizens of the Global North and the Global South.
On November 18, our Program Associate Ohene Ampofo-Anti, joined the Online Global Rally 'WTO: TRIPS Waiver for COVID-19 Vaccines Now!', organized by ESCR-Net, in which he shared more details on the appeal and civil society efforts to end the vaccine apartheid.
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