WHO Vaccine Equity Project

The COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) facility aims to speed up the development, manufacturing, and distribution of new vaccines but is not the only proposal for ethical allocation on the table. This project considers how we can improve existing proposals for equitable vaccine allocation that have overlooked three crucial equity claims. First, we believe it is imperative to encourage international organizations, such as the WHO, to focus on individuals, rather than nations, as the main stakeholders in debates about ethical distribution. Individuals suffer health problems, countries do not. Second, ethical distribution requires focusing on what happens with the vaccines within as well as between countries. We believe that even though distribution should not be conditional on good governance, distributors should work towards creative solutions to reach people everywhere including the most vulnerable and marginalized. Third, while ethical vaccine allocation is paramount, actual vaccine distribution will determine the success of whatever strategy is adopted. Efforts must also be geared towards maximizing vaccine production, distribution, and consumption. In short, we believe ethical vaccine allocation requires combating scarcity and expanding access to new vaccines and overcoming the fundamental barriers to access rather than just shifting resources around.