FLAWS OF GLOBAL HEALTH GOVERNANCE AS ILLUSTRATED BY THE COVID-19 VACCINE DISTRIBUTION

Global cooperation during times of crisis is necessary to procure effective responses and to uphold the universal human right to health. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted weaknesses within global health governance, particularly relating to the COVAX program and vaccine distributions. This paper sets out to describe and critically analyze the flaws within these frameworks. A narrative literature review was conducted to gather a widespread of information about weaknesses of the COVAX program. Additionally, the contrasting realities within Brazil and Canada were described to illustrate the differences between the two nations. The primary themes extracted from literature included a shift to multilateralism, nationalism, and protectionism. Furthermore, fragmentation within international institutional frameworks and their power distribution created grey-areas and impeded effective responses. This paper suggests measures to reinforce the authority of global health governance, including revisiting response policies, incentivizing global cooperation, and encouraging nations to recommit to global cooperation.