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

The document critiques COVAX as a multistakeholder group that functions more like a merchant bank than a health organization. It argues that COVAX marginalizes the World Health Organization (WHO) and the multilateral system, favoring the interests of pharmaceutical companies and wealthy donors. The author contends that COVAX's focus on a 20% vaccination target for 92 low- and middle-income countries is insufficient for herd immunity and risks turning vaccine access into a geopolitical tool for superpowers like China and Russia.

• COVAX is characterized as a multistakeholder group designed to function like a merchant bank, using government capital to shape the global vaccine industry and consumer markets in the Global South, rather than primarily to fight COVID-19.
• The governance of COVAX effectively marginalizes the World Health Organization (WHO) by assigning government representatives to advisory bodies and placing ultimate decision-making responsibility with the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
• COVAX's financial structure for the 92 World Bank-designated low and middle income economies (COVAX-AMC) relies heavily on a few donors; for instance, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provides 75.1% of foundation grants, and TikTok provides 55% of corporate donations.
• The report argues that COVAX's target of vaccinating 20% of the population in designated countries is inadequate, as epidemiologists estimate herd immunity requires 60-70% of the population to have antibodies.
• COVAX is accused of promoting a market-based approach to health that protects commercial interests and intellectual property rights, opposing a WTO waiver that would allow developing countries to produce COVID-related products.
• The author warns that the inability of governments to provide vaccines may lead to geopolitical rivalries, where China, Russia, and India use vaccine manufacturing as a 'soft power tool' in superpower confrontations.

APA

Gleckman, H. (2021). 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/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/COVAX_multistakeholderism-COVID-19-vaccine.pdf

Chicago

Gleckman, Harris. COVAX a global multistakeholder group that poses political and health risks to developing countries and multilateralism. Friends of the Earth International, 2021. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/COVAX_multistakeholderism-COVID-19-vaccine.pdf.

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 |date=March 2021 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/COVAX_multistakeholderism-COVID-19-vaccine.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gleckman2021covax, 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}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/COVAX_multistakeholderism-COVID-19-vaccine.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }