Rose Conway-Walsh calls for EU TRIPS waiver to save lives
Rose Conway-Walsh spoke about global COVID vaccine access and the TRIPS waiver at the World Trade Organization. She said the EU, along with Britain and Switzerland, are blocking the waiver and accused the EU, including this government, of prioritizing pharma profits over human life, urging the minister to raise the matter at the European Council.
Allegation of barriers to global vaccine rollout
She said the EU, along with Britain and Switzerland, are the biggest barrier to the global rollout of the vaccine because they are blocking the TRIPS waiver in the World Trade Organization. The speaker framed the blockage as a direct impediment to wider vaccine production and distribution.
Human toll and underreporting
She contrasted the official COVID death toll of 5 million with Oxfam's estimate of closer to 17 million, attributing the discrepancy to underreporting in poorer countries. The speaker emphasized that this represents 17 million human beings and highlighted the moral consequences of restricted vaccine access.
Consequences for public health and workers
The speaker warned that as long as the pandemic continues and new variants emerge, there will be ongoing restrictions, potential lockdowns, sickness and loss of life at home. She noted the economic impact on workers, the struggles of people unable to afford time out of work, and the strain on an underfunded healthcare system with staff at breaking point.
Demand for debate and international action
She called for a parliamentary debate specifically on Ireland's role in denying poorer countries access to the COVID vaccine and asked the minister to raise the issue at the European Council meeting. She warned that how individuals and states act on this issue will be remembered for a long time.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
The reality is that the EU, along with Britain and Switzerland, are the biggest barrier to the global rollout of the vaccine because they are blocking the TRIPS waiver in the World Trade Organization. The EU, including this government, are prioritizing the profit margins of a handful of pharma companies over human life. Official death toll from COVID is 5 million, but Oxfam put that figure closer to 17 million due to the underreporting in deaths in poorer countries. That is 17 million human beings. We need to have a debate in this House specifically on Ireland's role in denying poorer countries access to the COVID vaccine. This is not just something that is happening somewhere else. As long as this pandemic continues, new variants will cause ongoing restrictions, potential lockdowns, sickness and loss of life right here. Workers will continue to be hit hard. People are already struggling to make ends meet and cannot afford to be out of work. Our underfunded healthcare system will be overburdened and people will go without the treatment that they need. And healthcare staff already are at breaking point. They will continue to shoulder the burden. The pandemic was a disaster, but every new strain is a failure and a failure to roll out vaccines globally. How individuals and states act on this issue will be remembered for a long time. So I would ask your Minister to please ensure that this gets raised at the European Council meeting. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
