2021 Resolution on ensuring equitable, affordable, timely and universal access for all countries to vaccines in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic

76th UNGA
2021-12-16

Res­o­lu­tion A/RES/76/175

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Analysis of precedential value

This res­o­lu­tion was adopted by the UN Gen­eral Assem­bly (UNGA) by a recorded vote of 179 in favor to none against, with 7 absten­tions in Decem­ber 2021. The UNGA is the pre­em­i­nent gov­ern­ing body of the UN sys­tem and con­sists of all 193 UN Mem­ber States.

Used as precedent

access to health products, key population and community leadership

• “Rec­og­niz­ing that the COVID-19 pan­demic requires a global response that is peo­ple-cen­tred, gen­der-respon­sive, with full respect for human rights, mul­ti­di­men­sional, coor­di­nated, inclu­sive and inno­v­a­tive, based on unity, sol­i­dar­ity and mul­ti­lat­eral coop­er­a­tion, to ensure that all States, in par­tic­u­lar devel­op­ing States, includ­ing the least devel­oped coun­tries, have unhin­dered, timely, fair and equi­table access to safe diag­nos­tics, ther­a­peu­tics, med­i­cines, vac­cines and essen­tial health tech­nolo­gies and their com­po­nents, as well as equip­ment, bear­ing in mind that immu­niza­tion against COVID-19 is a global pub­lic good for health in pre­vent­ing, con­tain­ing and stop­ping trans­mis­sion, and in bring­ing the pan­demic to an end” (p. 5)

access to health products, publicly funded research

• “Encour­ages States to work in part­ner­ship with all rel­e­vant stake­hold­ers to increase research and devel­op­ment fund­ing for vac­cines, med­i­cines, ther­a­peu­tics and diag­nos­tics, lever­age dig­i­tal tech­nolo­gies and strengthen the sci­en­tific inter­na­tional coop­er­a­tion nec­es­sary to com­bat COVID-19 and to bol­ster coor­di­na­tion, includ­ing with the pri­vate sec­tor, towards the fur­ther devel­op­ment, man­u­fac­tur­ing and dis­tri­bu­tion of diag­nos­tics, antivi­ral med­i­cines, ther­a­peu­tics, per­sonal pro­tec­tive equip­ment and vac­cines while adher­ing to the objec­tives of qual­ity, effi­cacy, safety, equity, acces­si­bil­ity and afford­abil­ity” (p. 6)

access to health products

• “Urges States to facil­i­tate the trade in, acqui­si­tion of, access to and dis­tri­bu­tion of COVID-19 vac­cines as a cru­cial ele­ment of their responses to the pan­demic, to ensure the right of every­one to the enjoy­ment of the high­est attain­able stan­dard of phys­i­cal and men­tal health and to sup­port the admin­is­tra­tion of vac­cines to address the pan­demic, in line with the Sus­tain­able Devel­op­ment Goals and in accor­dance with the rel­e­vant inter­na­tional legal frame­works, includ­ing inter­na­tional human rights oblig­a­tions, tak­ing into account the prin­ci­ples of non-dis­crim­i­na­tion and trans­parency” (p. 6)

access to health products, alternative R&D models

• “Reit­er­ates the call for States to con­tinue to col­lab­o­rate, as appro­pri­ate, on mod­els and approaches that sup­port the delink­ing of the cost of new research and devel­op­ment from the prices of med­i­cines, vac­cines and diag­nos­tics for dis­eases, to ensure their sus­tained acces­si­bil­ity, afford­abil­ity and avail­abil­ity and to sup­port access to treat­ment for all those in need” (p. 6)