88 European Civil society organisations urge European leaders to ensure global access to COVID-19 vaccines by lifting patents and sharing technologies
2 April 2021
In light of the upcoming World Health Day on April 7, in an open letter, drafted by the European Network and People’s Health Movement and signed by 88 civil society organisations across Europe, European institutions and governments are called upon to take their responsibility and adapt the global vaccination strategy to ensure that everyone, across the world gets access to COVID-19 vaccines in due time.
PRESS RELEASE
April 2nd, 2021
88 European Civil society organisations urge European leaders to ensure global access to COVID-19 vaccines by lifting patents and sharing technologies
In an open letter 88 civil society organisations call on European decision-makers to lift patents on all COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and technologies and to compel pharmaceutical companies to widely share their technologies and know-how so that worldwide vaccine production can be scaled up and global access to vaccines guaranteed. The signatories of the letter draw attention to the fact that in developing countries, widespread vaccination coverage will not be achieved before 2023, if it happens at all and states that the only effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic is one of global scale, based on global solidarity. The coalition also emphasises the importance of transparency in contracts between the EU and pharmaceutical companies as massive public investments were brought to accelerate the development, production and distribution of vaccines.
The signatories hereby align themselves with the call made by the European Citizens’ Initiative ’No Profit on Pandemic’, which aims to collect 1 million signatures to urge the European Commission to make anti-Covid-19 vaccines and treatments accessible worldwide, and give full transparency on the ongoing negotiations with pharmaceutical companies. The initiative has received the support of over 130.000 European citizens and over 300 organisations so far.
On April 7, on the occasion of World Health Day, the organisations are mobilising across Europe to demand that people’s health be put before the profits of pharmaceutical companies. An overview of all planned actions can be found on this virtual map.
Sarah Derdelinckx
http://europe-health-network.net/
The European Network Against the Privatisation and Commercialisation of Health and Social Protection
sarah.derdelinckx@gezondheid-solidariteit.be
+32499352636
Ana Vračar
People’s Health Movement Europe
https://phmovement.org/
ana@phmovement.org
+38591 574 4567
Julie Steendam
European Citizens’ Initiative No Profit on Pandemic
www.noprofitonpandemic.eu
info@noprofitonpandemic.eu
+32497793527
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