“Over 140 global leaders and experts on Thursday issued an open letter urging world powers to guarantee that both a coronavirus vaccine and any treatment for Covid-19, when available, be free for everyone in order to put the “the interests of all humanity” ahead of those of the wealthiest corporations and governments.
“The new letter, “Uniting Behind a People’s Vaccine Against Covid-19,” is signed by current and former heads of state including Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan and former Irish President Mary Robinson as well as other notable figures including former United Nations special rapporteur Philip Alston and economist and Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz.
“Faced with this crisis, we cannot carry on business as usual,” Helen Clark, former prime minister of New Zealand, said in a statement. “Diplomatic platitudes are not enough—we need legal guarantees, and we need them now.”
