Preventing vaccine nationalism during a pandemic: lessons from collective security

Vaccines must be deployed equitably; to do so saves lives,
ends the pandemic, and ensures justice, notably for those
living in low-income countries. However, vaccine
nationalism is a significant barrier to this; high-income
nations hoard more vaccines than they require, while
hundreds of millions of people in the world's poorest
countries go without.
This project examines to what extent international law is
capable of correcting this injustice by compelling highincome
nations to refrain from engaging in vaccine
nationalism, and to act in a collaborative manner that
prioritises collective security - in this case, vaccine equity -
over their own national security and self-interest. It
examines the extent to which notions of collective security,
which have been successful in other international legal
regimes, such as arms control, are applicable to the present
issue.
This research is significant as it articulates how collective
security problems are developed and framed within
international law. These lessons will then be applied to the
issue of vaccine nationalism to determine if and how
international law can address this in the future. The
timeliness of this project cannot be overstated; its potential
for impact is currently at its largest. WHO Member states
are currently negotiating the Pandemic Treaty, with vaccine
equity being central to its intended aims. The findings of
this project aim to impact these negotiations and the
development of international law.