Amnesty demands 2 billion Covid doses for poorer nations
September 22, 2021, 5:45 am

Amnesty demands 2 billion Covid doses for poorer nations

COVID-19

The Today Online reported according to AFP, Amnesty International said on Wednesday, as it demanded two billion doses for poorer nations by the end of the year that Covid vaccine manufacturers are putting profit before lives.

The human rights group said in a new report that US President Joe Biden was expected to outline a pledge at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to fully vaccinate 70 per cent of the world's population by next September.

Amnesty chief Agnes Callamard said: "We need leaders like President Biden to put billions of doses on the table and deliver the goods, otherwise this is just another empty gesture and lives will continue to be lost."

The group said AstraZeneca, BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Novavax and Pfizer had all refused to share doses or technology to enable more of the world to get Covid jabs.

According to Amnesty, most people in the rich world have been inoculated, but parts of Latin America, Africa and Asia have plunged into renewed crises with "tens of thousands of preventable deaths every week."

It said that out of 5.76 billion doses administered worldwide, only 0.3 per cent have gone to low-income countries with over 79 per cent heading to upper-middle and high-income countries.

In letters sent to Amnesty, all the companies pledged their support for human rights, but the report said their actions violated that commitment.

It noted, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson were selling their doses at cost price.

But all of the six companies had fought a bid by India and South Africa to waive vaccine-related intellectual property rights at the World Trade Organisation, despite receiving hefty government support themselves.

Amnesty launched a new campaign which it said was backed by the World Health Organisation and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights "to hold states and big pharma to account".

With 100 days to go till the end of the year, it said the WHO's target of vaccinating 40 percent of the population of low and lower-middle income countries was at risk.

It demanded richer countries redistribute "the hundreds of millions of excess doses currently sitting idle" and for vaccine developers to ensure that at least half of doses produced go to poorer countries.

Ms Callamard said: "We're calling on states and pharmaceutical companies to drastically change course and to do everything needed to deliver two billion vaccines to low and lower-middle income countries starting now."

"Profits should never come before lives," she said. "No one should spend another year suffering and living in fear."

Source: todayonline

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has announced its sponsorship of the “Innovation and Sustainable Technology Solutions Competition (GU - IST Solutions), hosted by Gulf University at its main campus.
This strategic sponsorship reflects BENEFIT’s active role in advancing technological innovation and fostering sustainable solutions to future challenges. It also seeks to empower Bahraini youth by enhancing their skills, capabilities, and competitiveness in innovation and solution development—contributing meaningfully to the broader goals of sustainable development across all sectors.
As part of BENEFIT’s active involvement in the competition, the company has announced that Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Communication, will serve on the competition’s supervisory committee. Her upcoming participation reflects BENEFIT’s forward-looking commitment to championing academic and professional excellence.
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Dr. Aseel Al Ayash Dean of the College of Engineering in Gulf University commented, “We extend our sincere gratitude to BENEFIT for their generous sponsorship and support of the Innovation and Sustainable Technology Solutions Competition. This contribution plays an instrumental role in helping us achieve the strategic goals of this initiative, namely, cultivating a culture of innovation and sustainability, encouraging efforts that address the imperatives of sustainable development, and enhancing the practical and professional capabilities of our students and participants.”
The event will bring together a diverse spectrum of participants, including secondary school students, university undergraduates, engineers, industry professionals, entrepreneurs, academic researchers, and subject matter experts representing a wide range of disciplines.
The competition seeks to inspire participants to develop and present innovative, sustainable technologies aimed at addressing pressing environmental, social, and economic challenges. It encourages the formulation of business models that integrate advanced technological solutions with core principles of sustainability. Moreover, it serves as a platform for emerging leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators to contribute to the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals, promote the ethos of responsible technology, and demonstrate its transformative potential across various sectors.
Attendees will have the opportunity to view a series of project presentations submitted by participants, covering diverse areas such as eco-friendly product design, smart and sustainable innovations, renewable energy technologies, water conservation and management, waste minimisation and recycling, green architectural solutions, and sustainable transportation systems. Outstanding projects will be formally recognised and awarded at the conclusion of the event.