End the system of private patents! Manifesto on Global Covid Response

Thanks to a huge scientific effort based on international collaboration and historic amounts of public money, humanity has been able to develop several effective vaccines against Covid-19 in less than a year.

However, this great achievement could be totally overshadowed by the greed of the pharmaceutical industry. In a situation as critical as the present, the exceptional nature of the measures demanded from the majority of the population must also apply to the private pharmaceutical industry and its permanent thirst for profit. The suspension of the Covid-19 vaccine patents must be a priority and a first step.

But we cannot stop there. Initiatives such as COVAX or C-TAP have failed miserably, not only because of their inadequacy, but above all because they reflect the failure of the current system of global governance in which rich countries and multinationals, often in the form of foundations, seek to reshape the world order to their liking. Philanthropy and burgeoning public-private initiatives are not the answer. They are even less so in the face of today’s global challenges in a world dominated by states and industries driven solely by market forces and seeking maximum profits.

The health crisis is far from being resolved. The capitalist system and neoliberal policies have been at the helm at all stages. At the root of this virus is the unbridled transformation of the relationship between the human species and nature. The ecological and health crises are intimately intertwined. The same predatory neoliberal logic has exacerbated the consequences of both by applying, to the crises, private and competitive principles of management policy. The result is much more inequality, much more suffering and many more deaths in the name of the interests of a privileged few.

The pandemic has accelerated and deepened dangerous trends, social gaps and multidimensional phenomena that we have been observing for decades and in which the working classes, especially women and racialized people, suffer most. Women make up the majority of the health workers who have been on the front line in the pandemic, but also of those preserving life in the face of cuts to public services and social rights, of which they are the first victims.

Good health, access to health care and to vaccinations are universal human rights. Vaccines therefore should be considered a global public good. To ensure their universal accessibility, it is necessary and urgent to suspend the patents. This measure must be accompanied by mechanisms for the nationalization of private pharmaceutical industries and a strong investment in the development of public pharmaceutical industries in all countries. Decisive action is needed to enable public planning of vaccine production and distribution, developing local production capacity where possible and complementing it with binding international solidarity in other cases.

Just as viruses have no borders, the fight against them must have none. Health chauvinism is another face of the reactionary preference trend that is sweeping the world. The peoples of the South must have access to vaccines on an equal footing with the rest of the world’s inhabitants. We welcome efforts made by Cuba to develop vaccines and treatments against the pandemic with the aim of making the results available to humanity. Global challenges such as a pandemic require appropriate global responses.

The corporate economy, blind faith in the market and the pursuit of profit have proven to be incompatible with the well-being of Humanity. Health is not a commodity. Economic recovery cannot be at the expense of health or the rights of the majority. We must choose: capital or life. We must act quickly and forcefully, create a global strategy of equal access and universal guarantee to high quality health care.
For all these reasons, we demand :

  • The suspension of private patents on all technologies, knowledge, treatments and vaccines related to Covid-19.
  • The elimination of trade secrets and the publication of information on the production costs and public investments used, in a clear and publicly accessible manner.
  • Transparency and public scrutiny at all stages of vaccine development.
  • Universal, free and open access to vaccination and treatment.
  • The expropriation and socialization under popular control of the private pharmaceutical industry as a basis for a universal public health system that promotes the production of generic treatments and medicines.
  • Increased public investment and budgets for public health and community care policies, including more staff, higher salaries and improved working conditions in these sectors.
  • The introduction of taxes on wealth (wealth and income of the richest 1%) to finance the effort against the pandemic and to ensure a socially just and ecologically sustainable exit from the various crises of global capitalism.
  • The suspension of debt payments for the duration of the pandemic and the cancellation of illegitimate debts and those contracted to finance the fight against the virus.

TO SIGN THE MANIFESTO:

Send an email to this address: manifiestocovid[@]gmail.com

List of signatories

Intercontinental organisations :

  1. Committee for the Abolition of Illegitimate Debt (CADTM) international network www.cadtm.org;
  2. Global Campaign to Reclaim Peoples Sovereignty, Dismantle Corporate power and Stop Impunity https://www.stopcorporateimpunity.org/;
  3. Global/Glocal Network for Quality Education Red global/Glocal por la calidad educativa https://redglobalcalidaded.wixsite.com/redglobalcalidadeduc/integrantes;
  4. International Association of Health Policy (IAHP) https://iahponline.wordpress.com/;
  5. International Peoples’ Assembly (IPA) https://twitter.com/asambleapueblos;
  6. Labour Network of Solidarity and Struggles ://www.laboursolidarity.org/;
  7. People’s Dialogue (south-south network) https://www.peoplesdialogue.org/about/;
  8. People’s Health Movement (PHM) https://phmovement.org/;
  9. The Agora of the Inhabitants of the Earth https://agora-humanite.org/;
  10. Transnational Institute https://www.tni.org/en/transnational-institute
  11. World Social Forum Reflection Group https://www.foranewwsf.org/;
  12. World March of Women https://marchemondiale.org/

Europe :

International organisations

  1. CADTM Europe (Belgium, France, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg & Switzerland
  2. European Network against Commercialisation of Health and Social Protection http://europe-health-network.net/

Austria:

  1. Latin America Information Group Informationsgruppe Lateinamerika https://lateinamerika-anders.org/
  2. Institute for Intercultural Research and Cooperation https://www.latautonomy.com
  3. Zéro covid

Belgium:

  1. A CONTRE-COURANT http://a-contre-courant.be/
  2. ATTAC Wallonia-Brussels https://wb.attac.be/
  3. CADTM Belgium http://www.cadtm.org/Francais
  4. CEPAG https://www.cepag.be/
  5. CETRI – Centre tricontinental, Belgique, www.cetri.be
  6. Cultural Presence and Action Présence et Action Culturelles https://www.pac-g.be/
  7. Forum North South Forum Nord-Sud
  8. General Labour Federation of Belgium Wallonia Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique(FGTB) wallonne https://www.fgtb-wallonne.be/
  9. Fonds Ernest Mandel (Belgique) https://www.facebook.com/Ernest-Mandel-Fonds-1952230961709990/
  10. Formation Léon Lesoil (Belgique) http://formationleonlesoil.org/
  11. National Employees’ Centre Centrale Nationale des Employés (CNE-CSC) https://www.lacsc.be/cne
  12. Struggle for health La Santé en Lutte https://lasanteenlutte.org/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063697504866
  13. Walloon Anti-Poverty Network (RWLP) Réseau wallon de lutte contre la pauvreté

Bosnia-Herzegovina:

  1. Association for Culture and Art CRVENA in Sarajevo https://crvena.ba/

Czech Republic:

  1. Prague Spring 2 – Network against right wing extremism and populism – https://www.facebook.com/praguespring2/

England:

  1. Zéro Covid (England & Wales) https://zerocovid.uk

France :

  1. AITEC;
  2. Appel Brevets sur les vaccins anti-covid, stop. Réquisition !
    https://www.facebook.com/Stop-aux-brevets-R%C3%A9quisition-105952548197339/;
  3. Association for Employment, Information and Solidarity (APEIS) Association pour l’emploi l’information et la solidarité https://www.apeis.org;
  4. Association INDECOSA-CGT https://indecosa.fr/a-propos/;
  5. Citizens’ Science Association Association Sciences Citoyennes https://sciencescitoyennes.org/;
  6. ATTAC;
  7. Cedetim;
  8. Cerises la coopérative ceriseslacooperative.info
  9. CGT Sanofi https://www.facebook.com/sanoficgt/
  10. Collective of employees in Anti-Sanofric struggle Collectif des salariés en lutte Anti-Sanofric https://www.facebook.com/LesSanofi;
  11. Copernicus Foundation Fondation Copernic http://www.fondation-copernic.org/
  12. Democratic Kurd council in France Conseil démocratique kurde en France (anciennement: Fédération des Associations Kurdes en France) https://cdkf.fr/a-propos/;
  13. Emergency Workers Collective Collectif Inter-Urgences https://www.interurgences.fr/;
  14. Fédération SUD chimie -Solidaire, unitaire et démocratique- https://sud-chimie-solidaires.org;
  15. France Amérique Latine (FAL) : https://www.franceameriquelatine.org/;
  16. Henri Pézerat Association(health, work, environment) Association Henri Pézerat (santé, travail, environnement) https://www.asso-henri-pezerat.org/;
  17. Ipam;
  18. Medicines Common Good Médicament Bien Commun http://medicament-bien-commun.org/;
  19. National convergence of collectives for the defence and development of public service Convergence nationale des collectifs de défense et de développement des services publics https://www.convergence-sp.fr/;
  20. Observatory of Transparency in Medicines Policies (OTMeds) Observatoire de la Transparence dans les politiques du médicaments https://www.facebook.com/OTMeds/;
  21. “Our Health in Danger” Collective Collectif « Notre Santé en Danger »;
  22. People’s Health Movement France;
  23. Revue Inprecor http://www.inprecor.fr/home;
  24. Sud santé-sociaux http://www.sudsantesociaux.org/;
  25. The University of the Common Good of Paris L’Université du Bien Commun de Paris https://www.facebook.com/Université-du-bien-commun-2187371374822819/;
  26. Union Syndicale de la Psychiatrie uspsy.fr;
  27. Union of General Medicine Syndicat de la Médecine Générale https://smg-pratiques.info;
  28. Union syndicale Solidaire https://solidaires.org/;
  29. WOS/agence des hypothèses https://wos-agencedeshypotheses.com;
  30. Zero Covid Solidaire https://www.facebook.com/Zéro-Pandémie-Solidaire-113278857470238/?ref=page_internal;

Germany

  1. Association of Democratic Doctors Germany http://www.vdaeae.de/
  2. LabourNet
  3. Socialist Newspaper Sozialistische Zeitung https://www.sozonline.de/
  4. Zukunftskonvent
  5. Zéro covid

Greece :

  1. Expel Racism Initiative https://www.kar.org.gr/;
  2. Initiative of Healthcare Workers for a Public Health – People’s Right – Social Good ??????????? ???????????? ??? ??? ??????? ????? – ????? ???????? – ????????? ?????;
  3. Naturefriends Greece https://www.naturefriends.gr/;
  4. Solidarity for All (Athens Greece) https://www.solidarity4all.gr/;
  5. Sunday Immigrants School https://www.ksm.gr/;
  6. Women’s Rights Organisation (TO MOV) ???????? ?????????? ??????????? ??V tomov.gr

Hungary :

  1. ATTAC Hungary http://www.attac.hu/

Ireland :

  1. Campaign for an All Ireland National Health Service https://www.facebook.com/CampaignAINHS/

Italy :

  1. ATTAC Italy https://www.attac-italia.org/
  2. CADTM Italy http://italia.cadtm.org/

Portugal :

  1. Amílcar Cabral Development Intervention Centre (CIDAC) Centro de Intervenção para o Desenvolvimento Amílcar Cabral www.cidac.pt

Slovenia :

  1. Institut Mirovni https://www.mirovni-institut.si/en/ (Slovenia)

Spanish state :

  1. Andalusian Workers Union Sindicato Andaluz de Trabajadores/as (SAT) https://www.facebook.com/SindicatoSAT;
  2. ATTAC Spain https://attac.es/;
  3. Audit of the Health Care Debt (Health debt) Auditoria de la Deuda en Sanidad (Audita Sanidad) https://auditasanidad.org/;
  4. Basque Workers Solidarity (ELA) Euskal Langileen Alkartasuna https://www.ela.eus/es;
  5. Citizen’s Audit Platform on Debt Plataforma Auditoría Ciudadana de la Deuda https://auditoriaciudadana.net/;
  6. Coordination Against the Privatisation of Health Care Coordinadora Antiprivatizacion de la Sanidad https://www.casmadrid.org/
  7. Ecologists in Action Ecologistas en Acción https://www.ecologistasenaccion.org/;
  8. Galician Inter-Union Confederation Confederación Intersindical Galega (CIG) https://www.cig.gal/;
  9. Health Workers’ Assembly Movement Movimiento Asambleario de Trabajador@s de Sanidad(MATS) https://mats-sanidad.com/;
  10. Langile Abertzaleen Batzordeak Workers Union (LAB) Basque country https://www.lab.eus/es/
  11. Multinational Observatory in Latin America Observatorio de Multinacionales en América Latina (OMAL) https://omal.info/;
  12. Navarra Health Platform Plataforma Navarra de Salud /Nafarroako Osasun Plataforma http://nafarroakosasunplataforma.blogspot.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Plataforma-Navarra-de-Salud-Nafarroako-Osasun-Plataforma-462069400539481/
  13. Valencian Union Confederation Intersindical Valenciana (País Valencià) https://intersindical.org/

Switzerland :

  1. CETIM https://www.cetim.ch/
  2. MultiWatch https://multiwatch.ch/
  3. World March of Women
  4. Zéro covid

Africa

International organisations :

  1. African Alliance WoMin. https://womin.africa/;
  2. CADTM Afrique;
  3. North African Network for Food Sovereignty https://www.siyada.org/ar/;
  4. Pan African Association for literacy and Adult Education https://www.adeanet.org/fr/association-panafricaine-d-alphabetisation-et-d-education-des-adultes-paalae;
  5. Réseau nord-africain pour la souveraineté alimentaire https://www.siyada.org/ar/;
  6. Rural Women’s Assembly Southern Africa https://ruralwomensassembly.wordpress.com/ https://ruralwomensassembly.wordpress.com/

Democratic Republic of Congo :

  1. CADTM Lubumbashi

Kenya :

  1. Kenyan Peasants League www.kenyanpeasantsleague.org
  2. Kenya Debt Abolition Network

Morocco :

  1. Moroccan Association for Human Rights Association marocaine des droits humains (AMDH): http://amdh.org.ma/;
  2. ATTAC CADTM Morocco https://attacmaroc.org/;
  3. Democratic labour organisation Organisation démocratique du travail
  4. Moroccan Network for the Defence of the Right to Health and the Right to Life Réseau marocain pour la défense du droit à la santé et droit à la vie
  5. Southern Alternatives Forum Forum des alternatives Sud https://www.e-joussour.net/fr/

Senegal :

  1. Pan African Education for Sustainable Development NGO (PAEDD) La Panafricaine pour l’Education au Développement Durable ONG ongpaedd.org;
  2. Pan-African Youth Organisation Organisation des Jeunesses Panafricanistes;
  3. Senegalese Social Forum Forum social sénégalais

Tunisia :

  1. Al Warcha Media Association for Economic and Social Rights Association Al Warcha médiatique pour les droits économiques et sociaux https://www.inhiyez.com/;
  2. Tunisian Women’s Association for Research on Development (AFTURD) Association des Femmes Tunisiennes pour la Recherche sur le Développement
  3. Tunisian Observatory of the Economy Observatoire Tunisien de l’économie http://www.economie-tunisie.org/fr

South Africa :

  1. AIDC https://aidc.org.za/
  2. The People’s Vaccine Campaign

Americas :

International organisations :

  1. ALBA MOVIMIENTOS http://albamovimientos.net/;
  2. CADTM-Abya Yala Notre Amérique (CADTM-AYNA);
  3. Council for Popular Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (CEAAL) Consejo de Educación Popular de América Latina y el Caribe – https://www.facebook.com/CEAAL/;
  4. Jubilee South Americas
  5. Latin American and Caribbean Society for Political Economy and Critical Thinking (SEPLA) Sociedad Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Economía Política y Pensamiento Crítico https://sepla21.org/fr/;
  6. Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO), Steering Committee Consejo Latinoamericano de Ciencias Sociales, Comité Directivo https://www.clacso.org/
  7. Latin American Network for Access to Medicines (RedLAM), Red Latinoamericana por el Acceso a Medicamentos (Argentina, Brasil, Peru and Colombia) www.redlam.org
  8. Our America Trade Union Forum (ESNA), Encuentro Sindical Nuestra América http://encuentrosindical.org/

Argentina :

  1. ATTAC – Argentina;
  2. Argentine Workers’ Central Union Central de Trabajadores Autónoma regional CTA-A Rosario https://www.ctarosario.org.ar;
  3. Cooperative of Popular Educators and Researchers – Historic (CEIP-H) Cooperativa de Educadores e Investigadores Populares Histórica, Argentina;
  4. Corriente Sindical Carlos Chile (Argentina) https://www.facebook.com/CorrienteCarlosChileCTAA/;
  5. Darío Santillán Popular Front Frente Popular Darío Santillán https://abriendo-caminos.org/;
  6. Front of Organisations in Struggle (FOL) Frente de Organizaciones en Lucha https://www.facebook.com/FOLFrenteDeOrganizacionesEnLucha/;
  7. Fundación GEP (Argentina) Www.fgep.org;
  8. Health Institute Patria Salud Instituto Patria;
  9. Movement for Latin American Unity and Change Movimiento por la Unidad Latinoamericana y el Cambio Social http://mulcs.com.ar/ / Movimiento 8 de Abril)
  10. National Federation of University Teachers (CONADU)-Historic, Argentina Federación Nacional de Docentes Universitarios – Historica de Argentina
  11. People’s Movement: For a Feminist Socialism from Below Movimiento de los Pueblos: Por un socialismo feminista desde abajo (Frente Popular Darío Santillán – Corriente Plurinacional / Izquierda Latinoamericana Socialista;
  12. Santa Fe Teachers’ Association Asciación del Magisterio Santa Fe – Delegación Rosario http://www.amsaferosario.org.ar/;
  13. Sindicato ADEMYS;
  14. SUTEBA de El Tigre

Bolivia :

  1. Confederation of Urban Education Workers of Bolivia CTEUB Confederación de Trabajadores de Educación Urbana de Bolivia

Brazil :

  1. ECCE Union of Education Professionals;
  2. Homa – Human Rights and Business centre Homa-Centro de Direitos Humanos e Empresas http://homacdhe.com/index.php/home/;
  3. National Association for Higher Education (ANDES) Sindicato Nacional dos Docentes das Instituições de Ensino Superior;
  4. São Paulo Teachers’ Union
  5. São Paulo State Teachers’ Union – Ourinhos;
  6. São Paulo State Teachers’ Union – São Paulo;
  7. São Paulo State Education Teachers’ Union – Litoral Sul;
  8. São Paulo State Teachers’ Union of Official Education – Osasco;
  9. The National Union of Federal Servers of Basic, Professional and Technological Education (SINASEFE);
  10. Union of Education Teachers of the State of São Paulo – Salto;
  11. Union of Technical and Administrative Workers of UFRN and UFERSA;
  12. Union of Bank Employees and Financiers of Bauru;
  13. Union of Teachers of Official Public Education of the State of São Paulo – São Bernardo do Campo;
  14. Union of Teachers of São Paulo State Official Public Education Union – Sumaré
  15. Vinhedo Employees’ Union

Chile :

  1. National Federation of Associations of University Officials of the University of Chile (FENAFUCH) Federación Nacional de Asociaciones de Funcionarios de la Universidad de Chile

Colombia :

  1. Colombian Platform for the Audit of the Public Debt and the Recovery of the Commons Plataforma Colombiana por la Auditoría de la Deuda Pública y la Recuperación de los Bienes Comunes http://www.pacdeprebico.org;
  2. Grupo Kavilando Medellin Colombia;
  3. Inter-University Network for Peace (REDIPAZ) Red Interuniversitaria por la Paz;
  4. Latin American Autonomous University, Socio-legal Research Centre of Colombia Universidad Autónoma Latinoamericana, Centro de Investigaciones Socio jurídicas de Colombia;
  5. National Federation of Colombian Bank Workers Unions (FENASIBANCOL) Federación Nacional de Sindicatos Bancarios Colombianos http://www.fenasibancol.org;
  6. National Union of Bank Employees (UNEB) http://www.unebcolombia.org;
  7. Research Group University de San Buenaventura Medellin (GIDPAD) Grupo de Investigación Universidad de San Buenaventura Medellín

Costa Rica :

  1. Association of Secondary Education Teachers (APSE) Asociación de Profesores de Educación Secundaria

Ecuador :

  1. National Union of Educators (UNE) Unión Nacional de Educadores;
  2. Platform “It’s worth of you Ecuador” https://vaportiecuador.wordpress.com/

El Salvador :

  1. Alforja network Red Alforja http://enlazandoculturas.cicbata.org/?q=node/103

Haiti :

  1. Haitian Advocacy Platform for Alternative Development (PAPDA) – Plataforma Haitiana de Defensa para el Desarrollo Alternativo. http://www.papda.org/

Honduras :

  1. COPINH Honduras

Mexico :

  1. Autonomous Movement for Community Emancipation (MAECC) of Oaxaca Movimiento Autónomo por Emancipación Comunitaria de Oaxaca;
  2. Confederation of Retired, Pensioned and Older Persons (CONJUPAM) Confederación de Jubilados, Pensionados y Adultos Mayores;
  3. Executive Committee, Section 9 Democracy (SNTE-CNTE) Comité Ejecutivo Sección 9 Democrática SNTE-CNTE
  4. Mexican Plural Pedagogic Collective Colectivo Plural Pedagógico Mexicano Kaichuk Mat Dha, Durango
  5. Mexican Union of Electricians Sindicato Mexicano de Electricistas http://www.sme.org.mx/index.html;
  6. Mujer, Pueblo – Magisterio. Cnte Durango Mexico https://www.facebook.com/puebloMagisterio/;
  7. National Assembly of Electrical Energy Users (ANUEE) Asamblea Nacional de Usuarios de la Energía E?ectrica;
  8. National Coordinating Committee of Users in Resistance (CONUR) Coordinadora Nacional de Usuarios y Usuarias en Resistencia
  9. New Workers’ Centre Nueva Central de Trabajadores https://nuevacentral.org.mx/
  10. Workers Union of Higher Media Education Institute of CDMX (SITRAIEMS) Sindicato de Trabajadores del Instituto de Educación Media Superior de la CDMX

Panama :

  1. Association of Educators of Veraguenses of the Republic of Panama Asociación de Educadores Veraguenses de República de Panamá
  2. Critical Mass Panama Masa Crítica Panamá
  3. Teachers’ Association of the Republic of Panama (ASOPROF) Asociación de Profesores de la República de Panamá

Peru:

  1. Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampis-Gtanw Nation Gobierno Territorial Autónomo de la Nación Wampis-Gtanw https://nacionwampis.com/;
  2. Unified Union of Education Workers of Peru (SUTEP)

Puerto Rico :

  1. Teachers Federation of Puerto Rico (FMPR) Federación de Maestros de Puerto Rico
  2. University of Puerto Rico Teachers Association Asociación de Profesores de la Universidad de Puerto Rico

United States of America :

  1. New York Communities for Change https://www.nycommunities.org/

Uruguay :

  1. Marcosur Feminist Articulation (AFM) https://www.facebook.com/ArticulacionFeministaMarcosur/
  2. Plataforma Descam
  3. International Network of University Professors and Academics on the State of the Public Debt Red Internacional de Cátedras Instituciones y Personalidades sobre el estado de la Deuda Pública

Venezuela :

  1. Centre for Research and Border Studies Centro de Investigación y Estudios Fronterizos
  2. International Observatory on Educational Reforms and Teacher Policies (OIREPOD) Observatorio Internacional de Reformas Educativas y Políticas Docentes
  3. International Research Centre other voices in Education (CII-OVE) Centro internacional de investigaciones otras voces en educación www.otrasvoceseneducacion.org
  4. Popular Training School Our America (EFPNA) Escuela de Formación Popular Nuestra América
  5. Venezuelan Forum for the Right to Education Foro venezolano por el derecho a la educación

Asia :

International Organisations :

  1. Health Action International Asia Pacific (HAIAP), http://www.haiasiapacific.org Regional organisation – virtual HQ – Penang Malaysia;
  2. International Network for a Human Economy Asia (RIEH) https://www.rieh.org/;
  3. NGO Forum on ADB;
  4. SAAPE https://saape.org/ South Asia
  5. World March of Women, Asia

Bangladesh :

  1. Bangladesh Working Group on External Debt (BWGED): https://bwged.blogspot.com ;
    CLEAN (Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network): https://cleanbd.org

India :

  1. Citizens Forum for Mangalore Development;
  2. Collective for Economic Justice https://collectiveforeconomicjustice.wordpress.com/;
  3. Growthwatch (India) https://growth-watch.blogspot.com/;
  4. Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF) https://www.insafindia.com/;
  5. Karavali Karnataka Janabhivriddhi Vedike;
  6. Nadi Ghati Morcha;
  7. People’s Alliance of Central-East India (PACE-India);
  8. Prantojon https://www.facebook.com/prantajan;
  9. Progressive Plantation Workers Union (PPWU);
  10. Tamil Nadu Land Rights Federation (TNLRF) https://www.facebook.com/TNLRF/

Japan :

  1. ATTAC Japan

Malaysia :

  1. HAIAP Regional organisation – virtual HQ – Penang Malaysia

Pakistan :

  1. Haqooq Khalq Movement Pakistan
  2. Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee

Philippines :

  1. Sentro ng mga Progresibo at Nagkakaisang Manggagawa -SENTRO- (Philippines) www.sentro.org

South Korea :

  1. KPDS (Korean Pharmacists for Democratic Society), Korea www.pharmacist.or.kr
  2. People’s Health Movement, South Korea

Sri Lanka :

  1. Ceylon Estate Staffs Union (CESU), http://cesusrilanka.org/index.html;
  2. Liberation Movement https://www.facebook.com/LiberationMovementLka;
  3. Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform https://monlar.lk;
  4. Movement for Nature Farming and Indigenous Livestock Farming;
  5. National Fisheries Solidarity Movement www.nafso-online.org;
  6. People’s Alliance for Right to Land –PARL-, http://parlsl.com Sri Lanka;
  7. Progressive Women’s Collective https://www.facebook.com/progressivewomensc;
  8. Protect Union;
  9. Sri Lanka All Telecommunication Employees Union SLATEU https://www.facebook.com/slptsunion;
  10. Telecommunication Engineering Diplomates’ Union (TEDA);
  11. United Federation of Labour (UFL)


COP 26 and Covid-19: one and the same issue

The coronavirus pandemic must be seen as a part of the overall ecological crisis and not a separate issue, argues Alan Thornett, in an article originally published on the Red-Green Labour website.

The link often made between COP 26 (in Glasgow at the end of the year) and Covid-19, is that the Covid lockdown caused COP 26 to be postponed and now it is threatening to restrict what can be done around it when it takes place. Other than that they are routinely treated as separate subjects.

This, in my view, is a fundamental mistake. Such zoonotic pandemics are not separate issues but first and foremost an ecological issue. In other word Covid 19 is an integral part of the global ecological crisis itself not just something occurring at the same time, or existing in parallel with it. Such pandemics are (more precisely) a direct result of rapidly increasing anthropological pressure on the natural world and is on a par with the other such existential threats such as global warming, the pollution and acidification of the oceans, the mass extinction of species, and fresh water depletion.

We are now in the epoch of increasing numbers pandemics of dangerous pathogens, and if there is to be a long term solution to them it will not be in the form of endless vaccines chasing endless mutations until we are eventually hit by one for which there is no vaccine, but via a fundamental change in our relationship with nature and a much higher commitment to the struggle against climate change and environmental pollution.

Corona viruses exist in the wild in host species – often fruit bats or various rodent species – that have immune systems powerful enough to tolerate them. These viruses then spillover ‘zoonotically’ into other species when their hosts are thrown into close proximity with them under highly stressed conditions.

The danger of such spillovers is greater today than at any time in human history. This is because human impact on the rest of nature is also greater today than at any time in human history. Today’s model of human society, with its densely packed mega city populations and globalised trade and transport systems create not only the best conditions for such spillovers to take place but the best conditions for such pathogens to spread rapidly amongst the human population globally afterwards.

This puts COP 26 – and indeed the of whole the UN operation for the reduction of GHGs since the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 – in the front line on this issue. We have to demand that this is recognised by the UN and a new level of urgency injected into the process. The COP 26 coalition needs to integrate needs to integrate Covid-19 more strongly into its activity around the Glasgow COP and the From the Ground Up event need to pay more attention to it.

It also means placing fundamental change at the level of the viability of the planet as a sustainable living space for ourselves and the other species that live on it. The pandemic itself has already pointed the way in this. Since Covid-19 struck, air pollution and carbon emissions are falling at an unprecedented rate with aviation, one of the planet’s biggest polluters, still at a global standstill. Nature is re-colonising habitats that were dead prior to the lockdown.

It would be a disaster if all this was lost with the return of some kind of ‘normality’. The most salient point about Sunak’s recent budget – which covered spending commitments over the next few years, is that it had nothing to say about the environment at all. It is another massive lost opportunity.

We have to insist that there is no return to past levels of pollution and that the investment that will come as an attempt to recover from the economic consequences of C-19 should be used to build for a zero-carbon sustainable future. The ‘old normal’, it is often said, no longer exists. What is to be determined is whether any ‘new normal’ will be capable of creating a safe living space on this planet.

It follows from this that campaigning on these issues should not be separate either. Climate campaigners need to take the virus into account and Covid-19 campaigners have to campaign on the directly environmental issues as well. Nothing else makes sense.

Our demands must therefore include:

  • A comprehensive changeover to renewable energy – wind, solar, tidal, and geothermal, with no nuclear component. It means the electrification of the transport system: road, rail, and maritime – including electric cars but with a big reduction in car usage. It means the abolition of the diesel engine forthwith and the internal combustion engine by 2030. It means the upgrading and decarbonisation of the national grid.
  • No return to mass air travel. Reduction not expansion of airport capacity.
  • A halt to habitat destruction. The extinction of species continues to run a 1,000 times faster than the ‘natural’ or ‘background’ rate that has occurred naturally over millennia. This is now recognised as the ‘sixth mass extinction’ – the biggest extinction event the planet has faced since the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.
  • An end to industrialised agriculture. Sixty per cent of global biodiversity loss is directly due to agriculture. The cattle sector of Brazilian Amazon agriculture, driven by the international beef and leather trades, has been responsible for about 80% of all deforestation in the region, or roughly 14% of the world’s total annual deforestation.
  • An end to wet markets trading in wild animals and endangered species. (Recognising that not all markets known as wet markets fall into this category).
  • There must be a big reduction in meat consumption. Today, 70 billion animals are slaughtered every year for human consumption. This is set to double again by 2050. These animals consume vast quantities of corn, maize, and soy that could otherwise be eaten, far more effectively, by the human population.

Meat eating and air travel in particular simply cannot continue at the old levels. Not everyone can be a vegan or even a vegetarian, of course, or indeed stop using air travel. But there is a lot the individual person can do short of that. If you can’t stop eating meat you can eat less of it – limit it to once a day or once a week or have a meat free day each week. The issue is to be conscious of your own action and take the planet into account. Not everyone can stop using air travel, or even long-haul flights, but everyone can think carefully about it first.

The starting point must be a completely new relationship between human beings and nature. This means both major structural changes in the way human society is organised alongside big changes in the way we all live our individual lives and manage our personal impact on the planet.