COVAX: A global multistakeholder group that poses political and health risks to developing countries and multilateralism

The report criticizes COVAX as a multistakeholder initiative that functions more like a merchant bank than a humanitarian effort, arguing that it marginalizes the World Health Organization (WHO) and lacks public accountability. It contends that the mechanism is designed to protect the global pharmaceutical market and business interests rather than ensuring equitable, low-cost vaccine access for developing countries.

• COVAX is characterized as a multistakeholder group that functions similarly to a merchant bank, utilizing government capital to influence the global vaccine industry and the consumer market in the Global South, rather than prioritizing a human rights-based approach to vaccine distribution.
• The operational structure of COVAX is designed to bypass traditional multilateral humanitarian relief systems and marginalize the World Health Organization (WHO) to avoid public accountability in global governance.
• The multistakeholder model of governance used by COVAX is criticized for inserting business interests directly into global decision-making and obfuscating responsibility and liability, creating a risk that commercial self-interest will inappropriately influence vaccine decisions.

APA

Gleckman, H. (n.d.). COVAX: A global multistakeholder group that poses political and health risks to developing countries and multilateralism. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/publication/covax-covid19-vaccine-report/

Chicago

Gleckman, Harris. COVAX: A global multistakeholder group that poses political and health risks to developing countries and multilateralism. Friends of the Earth International, n.d. https://www.foei.org/publication/covax-covid19-vaccine-report/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gleckman |first1=Harris |title=COVAX: A global multistakeholder group that poses political and health risks to developing countries and multilateralism |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |url=https://www.foei.org/publication/covax-covid19-vaccine-report/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gleckmanndcovax, author = {Gleckman, Harris}, title = {{COVAX: A global multistakeholder group that poses political and health risks to developing countries and multilateralism}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, url = {https://www.foei.org/publication/covax-covid19-vaccine-report/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }