Talking Development Episode 10: Is the EU walking the talk of vaccine equity?

The EU is facing the first very real test when it comes to achieving “equal and fair” partnerships. While the EU talks about achieving vaccine equity globally, its actions send a different message. In her State of the Union speech, President Ursula von der Leyen pledged to donate 200 million doses to low income countries. This is on top of the already existing pledge to donate 250 million doses, of which only a fraction has been delivered. In fact, only 1% of people in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) have been vaccinated.

What does this say about the EU’s narrative around partnerships? What does this mean for human rights and social justice? And where do we go from here? This episode of Talking Development dives into exactly those questions with key experts.

In a globalised world, a “me-first” approach is not only morally wrong, but it is misguided and dangerous. Ensuring that everyone, everywhere has equal access to the vaccine and without discrimination is the only way to ensure a global recovery and protect us from future outbreaks.

The project “Towards an open, fair and sustainable Europe in the world – EU Presidency Project 2020-2022” is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Association of German Development and Humanitarian Aid NGOs (VENRO), the Portuguese Non-Governmental Development Organizations Platform (Plataforma Portuguesa das ONGD), the Slovenian NGO Platform for Development, Global Education and Humanitarian Aid (SLOGA), and the European NGO confederation for relief and development (CONCORD