It's not that our "leaders" are failing as politicians; it's that they are failing as human beings.
"Exhibit A" for me would be the moral disaster that is the European Commission. Here are just a few reasons why. (There are many more: I could make this thread 50 tweets long, at least.)
"Exhibit B" today would be this from the UN "leadership". I mean, why would anyone in such a position not raise (and condemn) mass atrocity crimes? How broken does your moral compass have to be to dodge that responsibility?
In blocking wider vaccine production globally, EU & UK take a neocolonialist approach to the pandemic, saying:
❗️ we're in charge;
❗️ we decide who lives & dies;
❗️ we may give you some charity later if we feel generous & if you behave.
It’s arrogant & self-destructive.
From the beginning, the EU & UK have been blocking wider vaccine production globally by obstructing the #TRIPSwaiver, a proposal at the World Trade Organization to temporarily waive some intellectual property rules on vaccines & other health products.
EU & UK leaders have adopted this policy to boost pharma monopoly profits.
They know it will prolong the pandemic & lead to more deaths & suffering.
They know it gives more time for new variants to emerge.
But profits come first, so the policy is: enforce vaccine shortage.
I fear it's not just one bad apple of a commissioner but rather further evidence of a European Commission that is increasingly turning its back on the very concept of human rights.
The European Commission is supposed to oversee Frontex, the EU border agency, which "has repeatedly failed to take effective action when allegations of human rights violations are brought to its attention".
This kind of sledgehammer does not seem like a sensible way to convince the as-yet unconvinced: euobserver.com/tickers/154153
Vaccine mandates can be a key tool in dampening the pandemic, but they must get the nuances right & be rooted in a broader strategy: hrw.org/news/2021/10/0…
And while mandating vaccines at home, #Austria, as part of the EU, is blocking wider vaccine production globally by obstructing the #TRIPSwaiver, a proposal to temporarily waive some intellectual property rules on vaccines & other health products, so BILLIONS now CANNOT get a jab
#Austria’s policy is the EU’s policy, because the European Commission negotiates on behalf of the EU at the World Trade Organization, where the EU is protecting pharma monopolies by blocking the #TRIPSwaiver. Austria could try to change the EU's deadly policy via the EU Council.
For all those who see human rights activists & NGO types slogging away, day after day, on issues that seem intractable and wonder if it's worthwhile... if it actually works... if progress is even possible...
Let me tell you that, yes, it is.
Since overthrowing the democratically elected government on 1 February 2021, #Myanmar’s military has carried out nationwide crackdowns on anti-junta protesters, activists, journalists & political opposition, killing more than 1400 people. It amounts to crimes against humanity.
In addition, the #Myanmar junta's renewed attacks on ethnic minority areas have resulted in numerous war crimes. hrw.org/news/2021/12/1…
But the biggest support for the deadly virus continues to come from the EU's policy of blocking wider vaccine production globally: politico.eu/article/vaccin…
Yes, the EU & its member states are supporting widespread vaccination at home but blocking it globally.
Billions of people around the world have not had even one shot yet, in large part because of the global vaccine shortage the EU enforces at the World Trade Organization.
For over 15 months, the EU has been blocking wider vaccine production globally by obstructing the #TRIPSwaiver, a proposal at the WTO to temporarily waive some intellectual property rules on vaccines & other health products.