Solidarity Call to Action
To realize equitable global access to COVID-19 health technologies through pooling of knowledge, intellectual property and data
The single most important priority of the global community is to stop the COVID-19 pandemic in its tracks; to halt its rapid transmission and reverse the trend of consequential global distress. We know that this goal is only achievable when everyone, everywhere can access the health technologies they need for COVID-19 detection, prevention, treatment and response. Now more than ever, international cooperation and solidarity are vital to restoring global health security, now and for the future. Toward this aim, we call to action key stakeholders and the global community to voluntarily pool knowledge, intellectual property and data necessary for COVID-19. Shared knowledge, intellectual property and data will leverage our collective efforts to advance scientific discovery, technology development and broad sharing of the benefits of scientific advancement and its applications based on the right to health.
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the fallibility of traditional ways of working when it comes to equitable access to essential health technologies. This initiative sets out an alternative, in line with WHO’s efforts to promote global public health goods, based on equity, strong science, open collaboration and global solidarity.
As a complement to the WHO COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan and the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, we hereby call on key stakeholders and the global community to commit to undertaking the following actions which are urgently needed to advance the pooling of knowledge, intellectual property and data that will benefit all of humanity:
Please confirm your agreement to take up, implement and be accountable for this Solidarity Call to Action by sending a confirmatory email to CallToAction@who.int.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General
Carlos Alvarado Quesada, President of Costa Rica
Argentina, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan, Brazil, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Honduras, Indonesia, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Mongolia, Mozambique, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, The Netherlands, Timor-Leste, Uruguay, Zimbabwe
This Solidarity Call to Action follows from numerous international commitments, including:
Global Sustainable Development Goal 3, target 3b: “Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all”;
The WHO Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (GSPA-PHI) and the WHO Roadmap for access to medicines, vaccines and health products 2019-2023: comprehensive support for access to medicines, vaccines and other health products;
The General Assembly of the United Nations Resolution on “International cooperation to ensure global access to medicines, vaccines and medical equipment to face COVID-19” (A/RES/74/274);
The 73rd World Health Assembly Resolution on “COVID-19 response” (WHA73.1).