Kopin has joined Eurodad and a group of 22 international organisations in demanding from governments greater accountability and a genuine approach in relation to Covid-19 vaccine donations to countries of the Majority World.
The joint CSO reaction to ODA-eligibility of Covid-19 vaccine related spending is a response to the agreement by member states of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) to make Covid-19 vaccine donations count for Official Development Assistance (ODA).
The core argument against this DAC rule is that the proposal excessively rewards donors for behaviour that has likely exacerbated the impact of the Corona pandemic for the world’s poorest countries and peoples. These vaccines were never purchased in the interest of development partners in mind and, thus, the agreement undermines the integrity, character and quality of ODA. This refers to the rich/donor countries hoarding through pre-ordering far more doses than they needed and thus elbowing out other countries which ended up not having the same access. The hoarding is now making it possible for them to turn it into generosity.
Also crucial is the argument that provision of vaccine doses is vital, but needs to go hand-in-hand with broader support to strengthen health systems and to ensure an equitable roll-out of diagnostics and therapeutics. And vaccine donations should come in addition to existing ODA plans and by no means substitute ODA that should have gone into new or existing programmes and projects.
This is a position that directly concerns Malta’s official development policy and ODA, in view of the fact that the Maltese government has already donated 135,690 doses to Rwanda and 40,000 to Libya. Although Malta is not an OECD member, the Maltese government still follows DAC rules as a European Union (EU) Member State.
