The following resolution was adopted at the IADL Council meeting on 7 February 2021: 

IADL RESOLUTION ON THE COVID-19 VACCINE: CALL TO TRANSFER PATENTS TO PUBLIC DOMAIN AND CONSIDER THE VACCINE A COMMON GOOD OF HUMANITY

The International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) expresses its serious concerns about ensuring equitable access to a safe, efficacious and high-quality COVID-19 vaccine for the peoples of the world.

IADL calls on governments of all states to provide transparency and science-based information to their people, especially regarding the process of acquisition and the effectiveness of the vaccines being offered. IADL further urges a comprehensive approach to deal with the pandemic, including free mass testing, treatment, and vaccines, especially for the poverty-stricken peoples who have suffered tremendously during the health crisis.

The world community, UN bodies and the World Health Organization must ensure that the equitable and safe provision of vaccines is not hindered by the profit motivation of vaccine providers and government corruption and ineptitude. Big business monopolies on vaccine control, profiteering, and discrimination in selling or providing vaccines must be condemned as crimes against humanity.

IADL urges action to put a stop to the potential loss of life and further worsening of outbreaks in the COVID-19 pandemic that are threatened by such opportunistic acts of accumulating super profits from the suffering of people. The intellectual property rights of multinationals and big pharmaceuticals must be waived in favour of the worldwide right to safe, free and effective vaccination for humanity to halt the spread of the pandemic.

Governments must not be allowed to use their control over the vaccination process as a way of repressing dissent and political opposition. Further, governments must not be allowed to use the pandemic protocols as an excuse to stifling the freedom of movement and the redress of grievances.

Peoples’ rights to health and life carry with them the democratic right to access scientific information regarding the pandemic and vaccination. It is the role of the international community and the governments to provide this information.

IADL calls for a universal guideline issued by the UN General Assembly, the WHO and related UN bodies to ensure these rights and to stop any type of discrimination among states in relation to access to and provision of mass vaccination against COVID-19.

IADL further calls on all member States of the United Nations to abide by the global calls  opposing politicization of the pandemic. We call for the transfer of COVID-19 vaccine patents to the public domain. Such vaccine must be considered as a common good of  humanity. We urge full cooperation among member States according to article 55 to promote a expeditious solution to the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic, social, cultural and educational matters.

United, the peoples of the world may prevail over pandemics.

7 February 2021

 

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