Global: G7 countries and EU must stop hoarding coronavirus vaccines

Amnesty calling on leaders to remove roadblocks in global vaccine production

“It is outrageous that these rich nations are hoarding most of the world’s vaccine supply” - Netsanet Belay

The G7 must stop hoarding COVID-19 vaccines, Amnesty International warned today, as the country’s leaders meet to discuss their response to the pandemic.

The G7 nations - including the UK, France, Germany and Italy - have enough doses to vaccinate their populations three times over. To date, half the world’s vaccine doses have been administered in these countries - but 130 countries have yet to administer a single shot.

Failure to ensure global access to vaccines represents an abject moral failure that will ultimately harm richer countries, Amnesty has warned.

Netsanet Belay, Research and Advocacy Director at Amnesty International, said:

“It is outrageous that these rich nations are hoarding most of the world’s vaccine supply and preventing others from producing more of this life-saving medicine.

“Giving money to COVAX, though welcome, is not enough. And suggestions to share a paltry five percent of their vaccine supplies with poor countries is insultingly small.

“The promise of ‘building back better’ rings hollow when G7 nations are the major culprits in blocking a proposal at the World Trade Organisation to suspend intellectual property rights during the pandemic, which would make it easier for other countries and companies to manufacture vaccines.

“Nor has any G7 country pressed vaccine producers, whom they have funded with vast sums of public money, to share their knowledge and technology, and therefore allow more vaccines to be produced.

“As long as the virus continues to spread and mutate elsewhere, no one is safe until we are all safe.

“The G7 leaders must do everything in their power to remove the roadblocks to scaling up global vaccine production.”

The United Kingdom has secured enough doses to vaccinate its population more than four times over. It has not endorsed C-TAP's Solidarity call to action and is opposing the temporary TRIPS waiver proposal at the WTO. and Italy are members of the European Union, which have secured enough doses to vaccinate the EU population more than twice. None has endorsed C-TAP's Solidarity call to action and the EU is opposing the temporary TRIPS waiver proposal at the WTO. The United States has secured enough doses to vaccinate its population more than three times over. It has not endorsed C-TAP's Solidarity call to action and is opposing the temporary TRIPS waiver proposal at the WTO. has secured enough doses to vaccinate its population five times over. It has not endorsed C-TAP's solidarity call to action and is blocking progress towards adoption of the temporary TRIPS waiver proposal at the WTO. France, Germany and Italy are members of the European Union, which have secured enough doses to vaccinate the EU population more than twice. None has endorsed C-TAP's Solidarity call to action and the EU is opposing the temporary TRIPS waiver proposal at the WTO. has secured enough doses to vaccinate its population 1.2 times over. It has not yet endorsed C-TAP's Solidarity call to action and is opposing the temporary TRIPS waiver proposal at the WTO.