World religious leaders are calling for massive increases in the production of Covid vaccines and an end to vaccine nationalism.
They are asking for the steps to be taken that are necessary to produce and distribute enough Covid vaccine for the entire global population, while urging leaders around the world to reject greed and vaccine nationalism.
The leaders make the moral case that it is not right that countries in the global north are hoarding vaccines while low- and middle-income countries are barely getting any doses.
The call comes as part of action from the People’s Vaccine Alliance, a coalition of organisations and activists campaigning for a ‘people’s vaccine’ for Covid-19, which would be based on shared knowledge and freely available to everyone everywhere.
Fionna Smyth, head of global advocacy and policy at Christian Aid, said on behalf of the People’s Vaccine Alliance:
“We know that our best chance of all staying safe is to ensure Covid-19 vaccines are available for all as a global common good as soon as possible. This will only be possible with a transformation in how vaccines are produced and distributed — pharmaceutical corporations must allow the Covid-19 vaccines to be produced as widely as possible by sharing their knowledge free from patents.
“Instead they are protecting their monopolies and putting up barriers to restrict production and drive up prices, leaving us all in danger. No one company can produce enough for the whole world. So long as vaccine solutions are kept under lock and key, there won’t be enough to go around. We need a People’s Vaccine, not a profit vaccine.”
Faith leaders
Those signing the faith leaders’ letter from Britain and Ireland include:
- His Eminence Archbishop Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London
- Bob Fyffe, General Secretary, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
- Carolyn Lawrence, Vice-President of the Methodist Conference
- Rev. Chris Hudson, Moderator, Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church in Ireland
- Revd Clare Downing, Moderator of General Assembly, United Reformed Church
- Commissioner Anthony Cotterill, Salvation Army Territorial Commander, United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland
- Rev Dyfrig Rees, General Secretary of the Union of Welsh Independents
- Hazel Loney, Lay Leader, Methodist Church in Ireland
- Very Revd Dr Ivan Patterson, President, Irish Council of Churches
- Rev Dr Jennie Hurd, Chair of the Methodist Church Cymru Synod
- The Most Reverend John Davies, Archbishop of Wales
- Most Revd John McDowell, Archbishop of Armagh, Church of Ireland
- Rev Judith Morris, General Secretary of the Union of Welsh Baptists
- Most Rev Mark Strange, Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church
- Right Reverend Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
- Rt Revd Dr Michael Beasley, Bishop of Hertford and Co-Convener of Anglican Health & Community Network
- Paul Parker, Quakers in Britain
- Peter Pay, Moderator of General Assembly, United Reformed Church
- Revd Richard Teal, President of the Methodist Conference
- Dr. Rowan Williams, UK
- Rt Revd Sarah Groves, Moravian Church
- Rev. Dr. Stephen Wigley, Chair of the Wales Synod of the Methodist Church
- Rev Dr Tom McKnight, President, Methodist Church in Ireland
- Bishop William Crean, Bishop of Cloyne and Chair of the Trócaire Board of Directors
Further information
For more details please see the Christian Aid website.
