The Duke of Sussex has made an urgent plea to end the HIV and COVID-19 pandemics in a powerful new
video to mark World AIDS Day on Wednesday.
Prince Harry has narrated a new film from The
People’s Vaccine alongside Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director, that
highlights the striking parallels between the struggles for access to HIV and
the glaring inequalities in access to COVID-19 vaccines.
It opens with Ms Byanyima saying: “The world is fighting a killer virus
and not for the first time.”
Prince Harry said: “There are striking parallels between COVID-19
and another deadly pandemic, one that emerged 40 years ago: HIV. But not for
all. This is a story of how corporate greed and political failure have
prolonged both pandemics and what we can do to stop it. By ending
vaccine monopolies and sharing technology, companies in the developing world
can start producing Covid vaccines too…Break the monopolies…deliver a People’s
Vaccine.”
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| The Sussexes have been campaigning for vaccine equity Credit The People’s Vaccine |
In
response, Christine Stegling, Executive Director at Frontline AIDS said:
“This is not the first time the governments of rich countries have moved
on from a problem as soon as it appears to be in someone else’s back yard. We
saw it with AIDS, where the transformative impact of HIV treatments in rich
countries has seen urgency, focus and funding for the global response fall
sharply, and we are starting to see the same thing with Covid-19. We cannot
allow history to repeat itself. The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, but
high-income, high-vaccination countries are already starting to talk about
future pandemics, while turning a blind eye to those that continue to impact
poorer regions. This will only prolong the pain of existing pandemics, placing
millions of lives at risk. We urgently need a People’s Vaccine to benefit
everyone, everywhere.”
Harry co-founded Sentebale in 2006 in memory
of his mother’s charitable work in combating the HIV crisis. He and wife Meghan have
been campaigning for global vaccine equity, making several public appearances
in New York in September, including at Global Citizen Live.
