President Cyril Ramaphosa was right to warn at this week's virtual annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting that vaccine nationalism is a threat and, dare I say, an impediment to a full global recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The "me and my people first" attitude mushrooming in parts of the world is immoral and short-sighted because no one country will be safe from Covid-19 until every country is safe. No continent will be safe until every continent is safe.
That's the inescapable logic and consequence of globalisation, which has resulted in our lives becoming inextricably interdependent. In the eyes of Covid-19, we are all equal. It spares no-one, no country or continent.
Collaborative and co-ordinated global and local initiatives are indispensable prerequisites for winning the Covid war.
Access to decent health care and to the vaccine must be viewed as a global and local public good and must not be determined by your country of domicile, class, race, gender or social status.
Equitable access to vaccines is in the self-interest of rich countries that already have vaccines. If developing countries are left behind and not given access to vaccines, rich countries will still face a real and serious risk of exposure to Covid-19. We have seen how fast new variants spread across borders, even during strict lockdowns.
The scourge of vaccine nationalism is on the rise partly due to a global leadership deficit. Increased political populism and economic protectionism have resulted in a breed of global leaders that do not inspire hope and confidence.
The election of Joe Biden as US president has unleashed a refreshing sense of hope in global affairs. The Biden administration is likely to usher in a new era of deepening multilateralism and strengthening of institutions of global governance. This is the time for global solutions for the most lethal pandemic in living memory.
Biden must use his global convening power to lead the charge in building a global coalition of the willing to fight and defeat Covid-19. This is the time for a global reset in how the fight against the pandemic is marshalled and implemented.
When the 2008 global financial crises hit we saw a co-ordinated global response to stabilise the global financial system at head of state, minister of finance and central bank governor level. Since the onset of the pandemic we have seen more finger-pointing and less, if any, global co-ordination.
The World Health Organisation has done an excellent job in its global messaging on Covid-19 but it lacks resources and has found itself on the defensive in the face of attacks on how it has handled the pandemic. Such organisations need to be supported and strengthened while still being accountable.
The current global shortage of vaccines has unleashed unprecedented jostling and competition among nations, which has unleashed an avalanche of vaccine nationalism. Vaccine nationalism should be declared a crime against humanity as it perpetuates global inequalities.
Rich nations are reminding us that they paid for the development of the vaccines and therefore they must be in front of the queue and, in some instances, get the vaccines cheaper than some developing countries.
Developing countries are reduced to being spectators as rich countries roll out massive inoculation programmes for their citizens. It is unbelievable how global inequalities are manifesting in ways that almost say, "developing countries, you are on your own".
Now is the time for developing countries to take charge of their destinies by crafting industrial policies that develop and strengthen their health-care industries and supply chains. Developing countries need to invest strategically in innovation and research that will create and sustain capacity to develop vaccines, manufacture personal protective equipment and harness and develop local manufacturing and scientific and digital capabilities.
The imminent approval of the Johnson & Johnson candidate vaccine is good news for the world as its production and distribution will help reduce the global vaccine shortage.
Aspen Pharmacare will manufacture the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at its Port Elizabeth sterile facility and thus contribute to the global effort to defeat Covid-19 and protect lives and livelihoods. Johnson & Johnson owns the vaccine, therefore governments need to negotiate with it to buy the vaccine.
But Aspen's role positions SA as an active and meaningful player in finding global solutions for global problems like this pandemic.
•Dlamini is chair of Aspen Pharmacare and a former Member of the WEF Agenda Council on Growth and Poverty Alleviation. He writes in his personal capacity
