Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Paragraph: 29
The glaring inequality in global access to vaccines has created the opportunity for autocracies such...
Recommendation
The glaring inequality in global access to vaccines has created the opportunity for autocracies such as Russia and China to seek to undermine the West and expand their influence by donating and selling vaccines. Even if these campaigns have fallen short on delivery, there is still a worrying potential to undermine UK influence overseas and harm its reputation as a force for good. We welcome the UK’s commitment to donate 100 million vaccines in the year to June 2022. However, this target falls far short of what is needed to meet the health challenge and protect British nationals from further outbreaks and variants, let alone meet our moral duty. We urge the Government to make every effort to achieve a significant increase in the speed and number of vaccines it donates through COVAX. Delays in vaccinating the world could mean irreparable damage to global health security, widening inequalities, undermining lower-income country health systems, and increasing the disease burden in the parts of the world that can least afford it. The UK should ensure that any bilateral donations are planned and timed to give real, sustainable and predictable support to other countries’ vaccination campaigns, rather than transferring small quantities that do more for the image of the donor than for the recipient. While a strategic approach may be appropriate for some foreign aid, lower-income countries in particular need predictable, needs-based vaccine supplies—this matters to us all. Ensuring there is low infection is key to ensuring there are few variants. In response to this report, the FCDO should set out a list of the countries that have and will receive bilateral donations from the UK, with dates, quantities, and the factors that went into each decision. The response should set out the FCDO’s role in selecting these countries, how this is coordinated with other Departments, and how it links to the objectives set out in the Integrated Review. We recommend that the Government sets out
Paragraph Reference:
29
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
At the G7 Summit in Carbis Bay, leaders agreed to work to vaccinate the world by the end of 2022. The UK has delivered 16 million doses to recipients so far [as of 29 November], either bilaterally or through COVAX. A further 5.8 million doses are with COVAX and are in the process of being allocated and delivered, with an additional 9 million to be delivered to COVAX direct from AstraZeneca in the coming weeks. We will donate a total of 100 million doses by June 2022 to help achieve that goal. We will donate 80% of the doses through COVAX. COVAX allocates donated doses to those countries and populations most in need. The UK is working closely with COVAX and their international partners to facilitate the rapid delivery of doses and maximise the shelf life available to recipients. This includes the provision of regular forecasts to COVAX to assist planning. We have also donated a smaller part of our donations directly to other countries. COVAX only accepts doses direct from the manufacturer, so where the UK already has possession of doses we have donated these directly to partners. The primary aim of any donation is to promote the economic development and welfare of a developing country and we only donate to countries eligible to receive Official Development Assistance. To date, bilateral donations have been made to partners in ASEAN and the Commonwealth, reflecting the importance of our ties to members of those two organisations. We also made a donation to Nepal following a particularly severe delta wave. Decisions on donations are driven by the availability of vaccines from domestic supply. Once the Health Secretary is confident further vaccines are available to donate directly to partners, the Foreign Secretary prioritises how they are shared. Any donations must also be agreed with the manufacturer and the country concerned. The 16.1 million doses that we have delivered breaks down as: Country Modality Number of Doses Angola COVAX 128,640 Antigua and Barbuda Bilateral 12,000 Belize Bilateral 42,000 Cambodia Bilateral 415,040 Dominica Bilateral 12,000 DRC COVAX 51,840 Egypt COVAX 299,680 Ethiopia COVAX 1,664,640 Ghana COVAX 249,600 Grenada Bilateral 14,000 Guyana Bilateral 84,800 Indonesia Bilateral 1,000,000 Jamaica Bilateral 300,000 Kenya Bilateral 410,000 Kenya COVAX 407,040 Laos Bilateral 415,040 Malaysia Bilateral 415,040 Malawi COVAX 119,040 Mozambique COVAX 188,160 Nepal Bilateral 131,120 Niger COVAX 105,600 Nigeria COVAX 1,292,640 Pakistan COVAX 1,008,000 Philippines Bilateral 415,040 Philippines COVAX 5,225,200 Rwanda Bilateral 100,000 Rwanda COVAX 153,600 Saint Vincent & Grenadines Bilateral 14,000 Senegal COVAX 140,160 Thailand Bilateral 415,040 Uganda COVAX 299,520 Vietnam Bilateral 415,040 Zambia COVAX 119,200 TOTAL 16,062,720