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Covid-19-Vaccines, Transparency, and Human Rights

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought with it a profound economic, financial and care crisis on a global scale, exacerbating the crisis of democratic systems of government, and shrinking further the civic space. The Latin-American region, where the measures implemented to stop the spread of the virus and reduce contagion evidenced of the profound inequalities that exist, is only an example of a wider trend happening in other Global South regions and countries. 
Lack of transparency, human rights violations, unequal access and poor corporate accountability have been prevalent in corporate responses during the pandemic, in a context where global health systems have enormous difficulties in dealing with a public health crisis of the magnitude of the Covid-19 pandemic. Lack of access to vaccines and treatment of the disease continues to be a risk factor for poor populations and countries.

In this discussion we hope to reflect on how the lack of transparency in the processes of purchase and access to vaccines is crossed by phenomena such as corporate capture, opening the door to conflicts of interest and corruption, and how human rights defenders that strive for transparency have been negatively impacted. In a question and answer format guided by the moderator, the panel will also highlight the efforts made to counteract the influence of corporations in the responses to the pandemic. We will also reflect on actions and proposals that can be taken to curb corporate capture and guarantee the rights to health and of access to information.

Nov 29, 2022 06:30 PM in Zurich