Canadian Jesuits International supports the current global campaign for a waiver from certain provisions of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement around COVID-19 medical technologies so that vaccines can be made available to people in low- and middle-income countries.
Without the waiver, low- and middle-income countries don't have the ability to manufacture vaccines, and they will have to rely on pharmaceutical companies and wealthy countries for charity or go without access to lifesaving medicines and technology.
On March 10, 2021, several non-governmental organizations, trade unions and civil society organizations, including CJI, sent an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging the Government of Canada to support global access to COVID-19 vaccines at the WTO.
On March 5, 2021, Fr Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator SJ, President of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar (JCAM) wrote to Lisa Stadelbauer, Canadian High Commissioner to the Republic of Kenya, urgently requesting the Federal Government of Canada to support the proposed TRIPS Waiver.
Fr Charles Chilufya SJ, Coordinator of the Africa Task Force of the Vatican Covid-19 Commission, and the Director of the Justice and Ecology Office of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar (JCAM), explains the importance of this global effort.