India’s Vaccine Diplomacy

WHY IN NEWS:

• The Vaccine Maitri Initiative has been launched in line with India’s philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ during the Vaccine Summit in June 2020

BACKGROUND:

• India has constantly raised its voice against vaccine nationalism and has supported initiatives calling for international cooperation to ensure global access to the vaccine.
• At a time, when rich and powerful countries are resorting to vaccine nationalism, India launched the Vaccine Maitri initiative.
• This initiative marks the supply of Made-in-India COVID vaccine for free or at a marginal cost to countries around the world.
• The leading Made-in-India vaccines are Covaxin, manufactured by Bharat Biotech and the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield, produced by the Serum Institute of India.

SIGNIFICANCE OF VACCINE DIPLOMACY:

• Strategic:
  • Earning long term goodwill:
    • By financing shipments from India’s assistance programmes for cash-strapped neighbouring countries desperately needing such assistance, India shall earn the long-term goodwill of its immediate neighbours and across Indian ocean countries
  • Boost India’s neighborhood first policy:
    • Bhutan and Maldives were the first countries to receive vaccines as a grant by Government of India >>It is in line with India’s foreign policy of ‘neighborhood first’
  • Advantage over Chinese:
    • China recently offered its vaccines to South Asian countries.
    • Early shipment from India in these countries could help counter China’s vaccine diplomacy.
  • Strengthen South-South cooperation:
    • India’s Vaccine Maitri initiative will no doubt help developing countries in the fight against the pandemic and foster stronger ties based on the principle of South-South cooperation.
  • Leverage over western countries:
    • While the affluent western world, notably the US and Europe, are focused almost exclusively on their own problems, India is being appreciated for helping its neighbours and developing countries, who could not afford US and European vaccines.
• Geo-political significance:
  • Improving Indo-African relations:
    • The inequity in the access and distribution of the Covid vaccine has left the African countries in peril >> India has gifted millions of doses of the COVID vaccine to countries in Africa.
    • Seychelles was the first African country to receive the Indian made vaccines
  • Improve strained bilateral relations:
    • For example: India’s vaccine assistance reached Nepal within a week of a request made by Nepalese Foreign Minister
    • India’s gesture to Nepal came at a time when its ties have been strained by a territorial dispute as well as concerns over China’s expanding political and economic influence in the Himalayan nation
• Economic:
  • Make India global supply centre:
    • Beyond India's immediate neighbours, South Korea, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and South Africa have all shown inclinations to purchase vaccines from India which is estimated to be 60% of the global supply of inoculants.
  • Boost pharma manufacturing in India:
    • India can become the pharmacy of the world.
    • If Indian vaccines help developing countries to meet their urgent needs, they can become the future long term destination for market expansion of Indian pharmas.
  • Help in reviving the economy:
    • If India becomes the manufacturing hub to corona vaccines across the world, it shall give a boost to the GDP of India.
  • Rescue from cold war over vaccine:
    • The US-China cold war has been accused of making distribution of vaccines “political football”, which caused the inordinate delay in commencing the inoculation programmes by WHO.
    • Thus, early shipment of vaccines by India is seen as a rescue from this bipolar tussle.
  • Earning moral right:
    • India's vaccine distribution comes at a time when WHO director-General has criticized moral corruption of drug manufacturers from rich countries for delaying distribution of vaccines and targeting shipments to rich countries only.
    • This could help India have a moral right to have greater say in international forums.
  • Disrupts vaccine nationalism:
    • Vaccine Nationalism is the mechanism through which a country manages to secure doses of vaccines for its own citizens or residents and prioritizes its own domestic markets before they are made available in other countries through pre-purchase agreements with a vaccine manufacturer.
    • The major drawback of vaccine nationalism is that it puts countries with fewer resources and bargaining power at a disadvantage.
    • India’s intervention by making vaccines available to needy countries disrupted the vaccine nationalism.
  • Facilitating global collaboration:
    • India vaccines supply could cater greatly to the global collaboration which is being done through the WHO-backed COVAX Facility mechanism.

CHALLENGES:

• Fake vaccine supply:
  • As India rolls out its pandemic diplomacy, an important challenge is from criminal networks that may either hijack the consignments or supply fake vaccines.
  • For example: South African police recently busted a fake Covid-19 vaccine distribution network.
• Threat of Chinese manipulation:
  • China has been involved in supplying fake medicines under the Made-in-India tag to African countries. Three Chinese nationals were arrested in South Africa during such malpractices
• Competition from China:
  • During the pandemic, China has pledged to supply Sinopharm vaccines to around 20 African countries.
• Propaganda against Indian vaccines:
  • There are efforts from enemy countries in spreading lies and making disparaging remarks about the safety, efficacy and capacity of India to produce vaccines in adequate numbers
• Vaccine nationalism:
  • Unfortunately, the increasing nationalist tendencies of the democratic world during the pandemic have challenged the equitable distribution of vaccines around the world
  • The advance purchase contracts made by some advanced countries for potential vaccines would vaccinate their population many times: the European Union, two times, the United States and the United Kingdom, four times, and Canada, six times
• Lack of regulatory harmonization:
  • Lack of regulatory harmonization between organisations such as WHO and authorities of vaccine manufacturing countries such as India, US, Europe and the UK >> affects timely production and distribution of vaccines
• Protectionist attitudes:
  • For example: production of coronavirus vaccines and scaling up global availability could be seriously limited due to ban on exports of critical raw materials by U.S
• Infrastructural challenges:
  • India requires expansion of India’s existing cold chain capacity, addressing gaps in existing vaccine distribution network etc.

WAY FORWARD

• Balancing domestic needs with diplomatic commitments:
  • India needs to balance its domestic needs with diplomatic commitments.
  • India has the challenge that while it distributes the vaccine to the world, it should ensure the much needed vaccine supply to those in India who cannot afford it.
• Uphold the principle of public good and global cooperation:
  • India should reinforce the need of having coordinated global efforts in bringing COVID-19 under control.
• Establish a common platform for vaccine approvals:
  • Through parallel approvals countries can save time from cumbersome regulatory hurdles
• Capitalizing on strategic groupings:
  • India should urged the United States, Japan and Australia to invest in its vaccine production capacity, from the capacity of a QUAD member