Dear Sir Rich, Max,

I just wanted to write to deeply thank you for your immense support to the letter of Laureates and current and former world leaders, addressed to the three main candidates (then) in contention for the Chancellor of Germany, Annalena Berbock, Olaf Scholz and Armin Laschet. I wanted to update you now that the German election has taken place.

I and colleagues at Oxfam and across the peoples vaccine alliance know how much of your own individual work went into this, not least to draw upon your personal networks and friendships. And I speak on behalf of everyone in the people's vaccine alliance in extending gratitude to you for that. A small group of organizations came together in common cause for this effort, including Club de Madrid, Physicians for Human Rights, UNAIDS, NGIC, Oxfam and others.

I am pleased to note that the letter was covered as an exclusive in the prestigious Der Spiegel, https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/soziales/impfstoffpatente-ex-praesidenten-und-nobelpreistraeger-appellieren-an-kanzlerkandidaten-a-fc72f259-0575-4223-b17e-6018b35e8cd0.  It also made other important papers including the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/patente-auf-corona-impfstoffe-appell-an-kanzlerkandidaten-17535605.html, and was also covered in newspapers outside Germany such as the FT and referenced in papers including the Guardian.

I am also pleased to note that, with thanks again for your help, we were able to secure strong opinion pieces working with Nobel Laureate in Literature Elfriede Jelinek, published in Welt, https://www.welt.de/kultur/literarischewelt/plus233900780/Elfriede-Jelinek-Freier-Impfstoff-fuer-die-ganze-Welt.html, and with President Francois Hollande, published in the leading financial newspaper Handelsblatt, https://www.handelsblatt.com/meinung/gastbeitraege/gastkommentar-gebt-die-patente-auf-corona-impfstoffe-frei/27627440.html?share=whatsapp&ticket=ST-7323280-uuEAbVbAGbcMcIYtSjqa-ap3.

We received a response directly from Annalena Baerbock of the Greens to back the waiver, and I attach her letter (in German), with a translation below this email. Please feel free to share this with signatories or anyone as you see fit. Of course that is extremely welcome news, if not decisive given the coalition dynamics.

What is particularly crucial is the position of the Social Democrats (SPD). While we have not received a direct reply from Mr Scholz, whose party is likely to take charge in a coalition in Germany having topped the polls, we recognize that the letter made an impact. Karl Lauterbach, a senior SPD MP and respected epidemiologist, publicly echoed our call, https://twitter.com/Karl_Lauterbach/status/1437466909373607942.  We understand there is a slim majority in the party in favor of the waiver.

Crucially, the letter provided a strategic intervention to insert the issue of the vaccine waiver and technology transfer into the German political debate and political considerations, more than it ever had been prior. While it is hard to predict the course of the current coalition negotiations, which will decide Germany's position on this issue, we continue to follow up with internal advocacy with the assistance of influential figures, and with our partners in Germany.

Thank you again. We do not take for granted your commitment to this issue, which we believe to be the great pressing issue of the day, and which the history books will write about one day. Indeed, President Ramaphosa of South Africa this week at the WTO reminded the world of the urgency of a TRIPS waiver "if we are to save millions of lives". He invoked President Nelson Mandela, and echoed his call. And, dare I add, he reminded us that "It always seems impossible until it's done."

Please do not hesitate to reach out for anything I can be assistance with.
In solidarity, and with my warmest regards,
Nabil
On behalf of the People's Vaccine Alliance


Nabil Ahmed
Head of Executive Strategy and Communications
Oxfam International, and People's Vaccine Alliance | Based in Nairobi, Kenya
Phone: +254700809563

Please note that I do not intend to respond to emails outside of working hours.
nabil.ahmed@oxfam.org | www.oxfam.org | twitter.com/NabsIMA

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REPLY FROM ANNALENA BAERBOCK

Dear Mr. Lawson,

Dear signatories of the Open Letter,

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this important issue.

A global pandemic can only be fought if vaccines are available globally. So far, over 5.8 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide, a very positive development. However, we are faced with a great injustice in the global distribution of these vaccine doses. By far the largest part of the vaccines was inoculated in China, the USA, India and the EU. Only the smallest part of the vaccine doses - less than two percent - were given to people in low-income countries. The most effective means of containing the pandemic is to have a safe, effective vaccine that is distributed swiftly and fairly. This fair distribution is only possible if local production is increased worldwide. If we do not enable the countries of the Global South to produce vaccine themselves, we will not be able to defeat this pandemic with its even more dangerous mutations.

Against this background, it is completely incomprehensible why the German federal government is still blocking the TRIPS waiver application from South Africa and India to suspend intellectual property rights to COVID-19 technologies for the period of the pandemic. For my party and me it is clear: where voluntary production partnerships are not sufficient, we support applications for the issuance of mandatory licenses in return for compensation for COVID vaccines and, in this sense, we will contact the WTO for a temporary suspension of patents for technologies to combat COVID- 19 in the negotiations. Intellectual property monopolies to combat a global pandemic must not block access to vital protective materials, vaccines and drugs. It is also a tight, time-limited waiver of property rights, aimed only at facilitating global access to COVID-19-related products.

The release of patents alone is not enough to protect us from new mutations and to prevent as many deaths and seriously ill people as possible. But it would be an important prerequisite for building up production capacities worldwide to produce inexpensive vaccines. With a fast transfer of technology and knowledge, many more lives could be saved and the development of new capacities could be accelerated. Strong public research funding should continue to provide strong incentives and resources for research and development in the future, without violating the global basic right of access to essential medicines through artificial knowledge barriers.

In this pandemic, we are only safe when everyone is safe.

With kind regards
Annalena Baerbock