The following amendment has been selected: amendment 1 in the name of Darren Millar.

The next item on the agenda is the Plaid Cymru debate on supporting low-income countries to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. I call on Heledd Fychan to move the motion.

Motion NDM7827 Siân Gwenllian

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes:

a) that Wales is committed, by law, to act as a globally responsible nation under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015;

b) that low-income countries are bearing the highest burden of the health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic;

c) the efforts of Welsh NHS staff in ensuring Wales has one of the most successful vaccine-delivery programmes globally.

2. Believes that, with this leadership position and experience, comes responsibility for Wales to share its expertise, technical knowledge and medical supplies with low income countries to support global vaccine and treatment programmes.

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to convene Welsh health boards, Public Health Wales and Welsh charities to identify and deliver long-term support to low income countries to bring the pandemic under control at a global level.

4. Calls on the UK Government to back plans to waive intellectual property rules and insist that vaccine know-how and technology is shared via the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 technology access pool, enabling a life-saving escalation in global vaccine production. 

Motion moved.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. It's a privilege to introduce the debate this afternoon on an issue that I know that many of my fellow Members in this Chamber feel passionately about. Just last week, we heard from the Minister for Social Justice about the various important projects through the Wales and Africa programme and her support for the People's Vaccine campaign. We very much hope, in light of today's debate, that we can all collaborate across this Chamber to ensure that more is done to bring this pandemic to an end, or at least to bring it under control, and to safeguard communities across the globe.

We in Wales have a responsibility, as a higher income country, to assist with the provision of global financial support, medical supplies and, crucially, sharing vaccine supplies. This means providing greater support to those countries we already have connections with, reaching out to other countries in need, and pushing the UK Government to do what is morally right and redistribute vaccines to where they are needed and waive intellectual property rights on the vaccine.

There are so many benefits to sharing the provision as set out in the People's Vaccine campaign; not only is it a medical necessity to save lives and fight COVID-19, but it is also a moral imperative and an economic priority. Appallingly, since the start of the pandemic, only 0.7 per cent of all global manufactured vaccine doses have gone to low-income countries. At the same time, almost 50 per cent of vaccines sold by four of the largest COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers: AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson have been delivered to high-income countries. Yet these high-income countries only comprise 16 per cent of the world's population. In total, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson have collectively delivered 47 times as many doses to high-income countries as they have to low-income countries. Distributing COVID-19 vaccines based on wealth or nationality, rather than need, risks lives, delays economic recovery, and exacerbates the length of the pandemic.

The People's Vaccine Alliance have highlighted the following five steps that must be fulfilled to successfully deliver the people's vaccine, which are: the need to vaccinate at least 60 per cent of the planet; remove intellectual property on vaccines and COVID-19 knowledge; invest large amounts of public money into manufacturing more vaccine doses for around the world; provide vaccines, treatments and tests free of charge; and scale up global financial support for expanding and improving public health systems. The prolonging of the pandemic, without a people's vaccine, only continues to jeopardise public health everywhere, while threatening the global economy and people's living standards. Let's ensure Wales plays its part as a globally responsible nation by doing all that we can to enable the life-saving escalation of global vaccine production. I look forward to hearing the other contributions to the debate today. Diolch.

I have selected the amendment to the motion. I call on Russell George to move the amendment tabled in the name of Darren Millar.

Amendment 1—Darren Millar

Delete all after point 1 and replace with:

Further notes that the UK Government has provided £548 million to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, which overall is providing 1.8 billion vaccines to up to 92 countries to ensure global equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

Recognises that as part of the UK’s G7 Presidency, the UK Government has championed equitable access to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics and secured the commitment from AstraZeneca to distribute its vaccine on a non-profit basis.

Acknowledges that the UK Government’s network of health advisers in relevant countries are supporting host governments to receive and deliver vaccines and will share an additional 100 million doses by June 2022.

Amendment 1 moved.

Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. I move the amendment this afternoon in the name of my colleague, Darren Millar. Can I thank Heledd and Plaid Cymru for bringing forward this debate this afternoon? Looking at the motion of Plaid's motion, I was a member of the environment committee, actually, which scrutinised the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, and a very good piece of legislation that was, as well. Of course, I welcome large parts of the motion today from Plaid, particularly the efforts, of course, in terms of supporting the Welsh NHS. We've seen a fantastic roll-out of the vaccine across the UK, here in Wales, and particularly in my own health board, actually, in Powys, which has led the way in terms of the vaccination levels per population in comparison to Wales and, of course, counties across England as well. So, of course, we pay thanks to our wonderful NHS staff and workforce for all that they do, in particular. 

I think it would be useful this afternoon, in this debate—and a good debate it is as well—to highlight a couple of areas as well. What I would say is that £548 million has been given to the COVAX advance market commitment, which, overall, is providing 1.8 billion vaccines to 92 countries—that's from the UK Government on behalf of the UK. I think that that, of course, is a huge help in terms of ensuring global equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. But, we're not safe, are we, until everyone is safe? I've heard that so often, and so true that is. So, I welcome the UK Government's commitment to helping towards protecting other countries, a pledge by the UK Government to donate 100 million doses by June 2022, with 80 per cent distributed via COVAX and I think it will be a huge boost to countries that are most vulnerable.

The G7, of course, has a big responsibility here as well to act. The pandemic, after all, is a global problem. So, I'm pleased to see that the UK Government used its presidency in a positive way in championing equitable access to vaccines and, indeed, securing the commitment from AstraZeneca to distribute its vaccine on a non-profit basis. I think one health approach set out by the UK and the G7 is absolutely vital in getting through this pandemic, to improve integration and strengthen pandemic prevention and preparedness to protect the health of all living beings. So, it's not just about providing those vaccines, of course, as well, to those countries; it's also about providing expertise and advice. So, I'm pleased that, as the UK, we're also supporting in that regard to not only ensure that vaccines are delivered to other countries that are in a different position to us, but also that those Governments are helped in delivering the vaccine roll-out as well.

The UK Vaccine Network brings together industry, academia and relevant funding bodies to make targeted investments in specific vaccines and vaccine technology and infectious diseases with the potential to cause an epidemic. So, I think that the UK—Wales being a part of that UK—we've got a lot to be proud of in terms of our country's contribution. That's not to say, of course, that more can't be done, because it can be, but it's certainly right, I think, to highlight what our country has done in terms of its global response. But, as I say, there's more to do. But we must also remember the response that the UK Government has made on behalf of the UK nations as well. Diolch.

I was very disappointed to hear from the Minister for Social Justice in the statement that she gave—I think that it was last week or the week before, but anyway, recently—that the Welsh Government was unable to give any commitments in relation to where our vaccine donations have gone. But, I have been able to find out that we just sent—the UK Government has sent—10 million doses to COVAX at the end of last month, and is due to send another 10 million in the coming weeks. With the ones that had already been delivered, that's 30.6 million doses.

Obviously, when you compare that with the population of Africa, of 1.4 billion, that is a bit of a drop in the ocean. Nevertheless, we are a small country, and we need to ensure that all countries in the developed world are making their just contribution to the developing countries that simply don't have the capacity to manufacture their own vaccine in most cases. Obviously, a lot of the pharmaceutical companies are reluctant to hand over the formula to enable them to do so because, at the end of the day, once you have got the formula, it can't be that difficult to do it.

So, we really do need to ensure that we are playing our part in ramping up the number of doses available to countries that have been completely devastated by this. In the main, the amount of people who have been vaccinated is absolutely derisory. Yet, we still expect the health workers in those countries to go on nursing people who have got COVID without having the protection that you can get from the vaccine. So, none of us is safe until everybody has been vaccinated because, otherwise, this will simply completely dominate all of our lives, all of our economic activity, and everybody's well-being for the rest of this time. So, this is an incredibly important subject.

There are also many other ways in which we are going to need to help. The ways in which Wales has played its part in ensuring that the just transition in dealing with the climate emergency—. We have to come up with the money that we have promised developing countries, and we promised them £10 billion a year back in 2009, and we are only now getting around to delivering most of it. That is just not good enough. We live in a global world. We have to ensure that everybody is playing their part, and that those who are least able to help themselves are getting the support that they need from those of us who are in the privileged position that we are in.

We have heard much this afternoon the phrase, 'We are not safe until we are all safe'. That is true here in Wales and the UK globally. I think that we are all in agreement that we should do what we can do to ensure the equitable distribution of vaccinations across the globe.

There are just two elements that I want to touch on. The first is that COVID-19 has consumed so many different aspects of business as normal, especially for our NHS. Whilst Wales continues to lead COVID vaccination efforts, we are also vaccinating against the flu, and children are receiving routine vaccinations, and so on. But, the same can't be said for countries in the global south.

The World Health Organization has warned that there could be a shortfall of up to 2 billion syringes in 2022. Not only will this impact the roll-out of COVID, it will also impact on routine vaccinations, especially for children. They also warn that some countries may take the risk of reusing syringes in order to keep vaccination programmes running. So, it's absolutely essential that we, working with others, contribute to a global effort to ensure that the delivery of public health programmes continues worldwide. That is in all of our interests.

The second point is in relation to the Conservative amendment, and it is about long-term thinking. The COVID-19 pandemic has reversed developmental gains in many of the world's poorest countries, pushing an additional 97 million people into extreme poverty. So, while vaccine equity has to be the bedrock of our fight against the immediate threat of COVID-19, our focus has to be also on the long-term rebuilding and recovery from the pandemic on a global scale.

So, I note the interventions from the UK Government that the amendment outlines, but the Conservatives give with one hand and take with the other. Their irresponsible and short-sighted cuts to foreign aid have undermined and will undermine efforts to mitigate against the long-term damage caused by the pandemic. So, it's all very well and good to take action at a time of crisis, but the difference is made when we work together long term to create a fairer, safer world. So, I hope that the Senedd can support this motion here today, and my plea is that the Welsh Government continues to advocate for Wales's and the United Kingdom’s contribution to achieve global security and prosperity. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

I’m very pleased to have an opportunity to say a few words in this debate. It’s important that we discuss this, and I think it’s inevitable, in a way, that people have looked to our own welfare and well-being over the past year and nine months. And in so doing, we could be referring to ourselves as nations, as communities, as key workers, as families or as individuals even, but one of the core attributes of a pandemic, as the name suggests, is that the impact is very wide ranging, and we’re talking about something that has been felt worldwide. It’s important that we do now look further afield and that we ask, as we are still trying to do everything that we can to look after our communities and nation, whether there is more that we can do to help others who are suffering. It’s about saving lives here.

Inequality in the supply of vaccines worldwide has led and is still leading to high numbers of deaths—unnecessary deaths—particularly in middle or low-income nations. Many of them have seen wave after wave sweeping through their communities without being able to access not just vaccines, but things such as health information, tests, oxygen, personal protective equipment and even training on how to use PPE. The World Health Organization has reported recently that only 14.2 per cent—one in seven—of infections are identified in Africa. That kind of statistic demonstrates why Wales’s support for the People’s Vaccine campaign is so important.

As I say, this is a pandemic, this is something that has an impact on a wide-ranging population—in this case, the entire population of the globe—and the scientists have warned from the very beginning that it’s only a global response that can solve this pandemic. So, a vaccine has to be seen as something that brings global benefit. As has been said several times, we can’t say that anyone is safe until everyone is safe. And by limiting the supply of vaccines in some countries, we are extending the lifespan of this pandemic and we are creating opportunities for new variants to develop, adding to the threat that we are all facing. The People’s Vaccine alliance are concerned that not increasing the percentage that are vaccinated worldwide could mean that vaccines in the wealthier countries become ineffective in just a year. So, bear that in mind.

There was an extraordinary scientific response to this pandemic. Researchers in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors responded in an unprecedented way. They deserve all possible praise for doing that. But, of course, when you’re talking about some of the major pharma corporations worldwide, we can’t ignore the fact that this has provided economic opportunities and unprecedented economic opportunities for them and I’m afraid that the pharma companies have taken the usual steps to safeguard their own interests by not sharing their intellectual property with the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool of the WHO. They have the power to maintain prices through controlling production, and what we have are barriers to enabling low and middle-income countries to generate their own vaccines. The justification, as usual, for this behaviour is that these major corporations understandably have to regain their major input into the development of new medications, but do remember how much of the cost of development has come from public coffers. I think that something like 97.6 per cent of the funding to develop the AstraZeneca vaccine has come from public sources or philanthropic sources, yet we've seen in the past few days that the company have said that they're rolling back from the promise to operate on a not-for-profit basis. And even though the poorest countries will still be treated in that way, I think that 75 per cent of nations, according to Oxfam, aren't part of that agreement. So, let me conclude by suggesting that, if we have a vaccine that has been developed and paid for by the people, that is has to work for the people, and that on a global basis.

I very much welcome this debate today as part of Wales and the Senedd recognising that we're part of the worldwide community, and that the worldwide community faces a tremendous challenge in dealing with the pandemic. COVID-19 doesn't recognise any borders between countries. It's a collective experience that the world is, sadly, going through at the moment, and it does require a united, collective response. So, I think it's very important that we're having this debate today. We've shown a great deal of international responsibility and engagement through, for example, our programme for Africa, and many aspects of that are health related. We've provided health clinics in countries in sub-Saharan Africa; we've had lots of exchanges between doctors, nurses and other health professionals. It's been wonderful to see that happening, and it's very beneficial, I believe, to both ourselves and the other countries concerned.

The pandemic is, obviously, an important challenge to those health systems that we've helped to develop and support, and, obviously, a crucial part of dealing with the pandemic is the vaccine. We know how important and beneficial it has been for Wales and the UK and other countries where vaccination is being rolled out effectively and extensively, but, sadly, that isn't the position in many countries with less developed health systems and less strong and robust economies. So, as part of our international obligations, through the programme for Africa and otherwise, I do believe Wales should play a part in making the case and helping those other countries have effective vaccination programmes.

In my area, Dirprwy Lywydd, we have Love Zimbabwe, which is a great organisation, building links between Wales and Zimbabwe. Visits have taken place during the pandemic—last summer, for example. I'm told by Love Zimbabwe that there are many issues, as you would expect, in terms of dealing effectively with the pandemic in Zimbabwe. Lateral flow tests, for example, cost around £25 to carry out, and many people, obviously, are not able to afford that, and this does make it difficult to assess the number of cases and the extent of COVID-19 in that country, which is, obviously, very problematic in terms of planning an adequate response from the health system. And also, although vaccination is taking place, the vast majority of the 15 million population have not been vaccinated, and the vaccine that is being used is the Chinese vaccine, which is not recognised by the UK Government. So, that creates problems, because, although Zimbabwe is no longer on the red list of UK Government countries in terms of COVID, the fact that that Chinese vaccine is being used means that there are problems with quarantine and pre-departure tests for travel from Zimbabwe to the UK. That has many implications for the Zimbabwe population and, of course, the way that we engage with them through Love Zimbabwe and other groups and organisations. 

So, I'm very pleased that this debate is taking place today so that we can recognise and understand these issues. I very much hope that we do now reinvigorate our voice in the campaign to ensure effective vaccination in countries all over the world, and do what we can more directly in terms of our programme for Africa, and our other efforts, to make sure that we fulfil our responsibility as part of that prosperous and stable world, and understand how lucky we are to be in that position here in Wales.

Responsibility is at the heart of this debate—yes, Wales's stance as a globally responsible nation, but, deeper than that, I mean the sense that's been with us throughout the pandemic that the actions we take have consequences not just for ourselves but for everyone around us. Somehow, that message hasn't registered with global leaders and Governments. They continue to act as if what happens beyond our borders has little impact on our own precarious situation and put out of mind the fact that, if the virus rages anywhere, nowhere will be safe. But pandemics are periods of extremes and cutting corners only gets you so far.

Our debate today isn't just about fairness in distributing vaccines to the world's poorer nations, it's about common sense, because, in a global pandemic, the actions we've all taken for 20 months to keep ourselves and families and friends safe will be all for naught if the virus continues to spread in countries where no resistance has been built up through vaccines, allowing COVID to mutate and become yet more deadly. Even if we look at the issue purely through the prism of self-interest, it makes sense to distribute vaccines equitably across the world, not to hoard and prioritise our own safety, because nobody will be safe until everyone has that assurance.

So, what is stopping that from happening? In a phrase, Dirprwy Lywydd, corporate greed. Governments in the global north are allowing pharmaceutical giants to trample over our common humanity in pursuit of profit, and the self-same inequalities highlighted by the pandemic are becoming entrenched instead of addressed. Moderna, BioNTech and Pfizer are seeing astronomical profit margins for their shareholders because they have patent monopolies. Let's just unpick that: the profit margins that they're seeing, estimated to be as high as 69 per cent, that is the profit they are making on a product that was meant to save people's lives. Those margins are inflated because only they are allowed to produce the vaccines. Greed and hubris have ensured that the giants get richer at the explicit expense of the world's poor. As Dinah Fuentesfina from ActionAid International has pointed out:

'We create vaccine billionaires but fail to vaccinate billions of people in desperate need.'

That ugly dichotomy is the nature of the beast of unfettered capitalism, the characteristic sneer on its face and the bark in its bite that, in order for the rich to get richer, the poor must suffer. It wouldn't have been enough for these companies to just have first refusal on the vaccine recipe, they've excluded others from developing them.

And the global north Governments too have covered themselves in shame. We haven't just ordered the first lots of vaccines; we have overordered catastrophically. At least 100 million vaccines could expire unused in G7 countries in 2021. The UK is reportedly sitting on up to 210 million surplus vaccines, and a recent FOI suggests that more than 600,000 doses of the vaccine were destroyed in the UK in August 2021—destroyed. That hope of billions thrown out as rubbish. It seems like a nightmarish morality tale that we've reached a moment in human history where we have the scientific capability of creating these formulae, but are held back by selfishness and avarice. Alchemists searched for centuries for a magic formula that would turn base metal into gold, but today we've found the reverse, turning the life-giving serum of the vaccines into effluent or sewage poured down the drains.

Dinah Fuentesfina again has pointed out that, whilst hundreds of millions of people have been infected by the virus and more than 5 billion people—5 million people, forgive me—have died,

'at least nine new billionaires have been minted thanks to COVID.'

Dirprwy Lywydd, the world has broken through scientific barriers in this pandemic. Inequality is the final barrier that threatens to trip up the efforts of months and millions. We know what needs to happen. Vaccines should be considered global public goods, not locked away and stored until they've passed out of usefulness. Intellectual property rights should be removed, patents waived and vaccine technology shared. Let's do what is right while we still have time.

I'd like to thank Plaid Cymru for tabling this debate for this afternoon and for the contributions that we've heard so far today. I do have some sympathy with the position that they have taken. And, after all, as Jane Dodds mentioned, none of us is safe until all of us are safe. However, the approach they've put forward is a little too simplistic, a little too naive and a little bit rich given that, a few weeks ago, Plaid were advocating vaccinating all children in spite of the World Health Organization recommending against it. 

Regardless, the vaccine programme is an unparalleled success. We went from zero doses a little over a year ago to being on course for 12 billion doses of vaccine by the end of the year, and 24 billion doses by the middle of next year. In just a few months, the supply of vaccines will far outstrip demand, because the UK took a gamble and ordered vaccines before we knew they would work. We are ahead of the curve in our vaccination programmes. We are vaccinating our population at pace, yet we are still providing vaccines to the rest of the world.

The UK is one of the biggest contributors to the COVAX scheme. COVAX is operated by the global alliance on vaccines and immunisation, or Gavi for short. And the UK is one of Gavi's six original donors and one of only two donor countries that support Gavi through all four funding channels. Our nation has provided nearly £2.2 billion to the scheme. As our amendment notes, we used our G7 presidency to push for equitable access to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics, and secured the commitment from AstraZeneca to distribute its vaccine on a non-profit basis. Other pharma and biotech companies are following suit. Moderna has agreed to donate 0.5 billion doses of its COVID vaccine to COVAX. Just yesterday, Pfizer agreed to licence the antivirals it has developed royalty free to poor nations. These pharma and biotech companies have invested billions in developing these drugs, yet are giving them away freely because they understand their moral obligation to help humanity in its hour of need.

Those clamouring for them to waive their intellectual property rights are naive. The biotech developed and used in many of the vaccines and therapeutics was not developed for COVID, but was adapted to fight COVID. And, once the pandemic is over, it'll be used to develop other life-saving vaccines and drugs. Why would a company give away tech it developed at great cost, particularly when it is unnecessary? The pharma and biotech sector have massively scaled up efforts to fight COVID and will soon produce enough vaccines to protect every person on planet Earth many times over.

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, working hand in hand with similar bodies around the globe, have adopted a five-point plan to ensure manufacturers, governments and non-governmental organisations work together to take urgent steps to address vaccine inequity. They have focused on stepping up responsible dose sharing and maximising production without compromising quality or safety. This is the best way to ensure that we are all protected from the COVID-19 virus, and I urge Members to support our amendment. Thank you very much. 

I call on the Minister for Health and Social Services, Eluned Morgan. 

Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'd like to begin my contribution by thanking Plaid Cymru for bringing forward this important topic for debate today. I'm always keen to take the opportunity to thank those across the NHS in Wales and our public services for delivering our world-leading vaccination programme, as referenced in the motion. However, it is clear that not everyone around the world has been fortunate enough to have the same access to vaccinations and other equipment that we've had here in Wales.

Now, throughout the course of responding to COVID-19, it's been clear to all of us that this disease does not respect borders and has had a devastating impact across the whole globe. But we know that this impact has been felt particularly acutely in low-income countries. In 2015, this Senedd broke new ground with our pioneering well-being of future generations Act, and through this Act the Senedd legislated to require certain public bodies, including the Welsh Government, to work towards realising a globally responsible Wales. And this has perhaps never been more important than it has over the course of grappling with COVID-19.

Many countries, particularly in Africa, are still experiencing repeated waves of infection sweeping through their communities, every time raising the likelihood of new variants emerging. And if we are truly to call ourselves a globally responsible nation, we have to look for opportunities to give people the tools to help them out in difficult times. Given that, as so many people have said today, nobody is safe until everyone is safe, it's vital that everybody in the world, wherever they are, has access to the support that they need to protect themselves against COVID-19. And it's for this reason that we're pleased to support today's motion.

Of course, given that vaccines are procured on a UK-wide basis, matters such as the distribution of vaccines internationally are for the UK Government. However, alongside the other UK nations, I've met with the UK Government's vaccines Minister and the Secretary of State for Health on a regular basis, where I've advocated for further donations to COVAX. In particular, we've pressed UK Government Ministers to donate vaccine supplies to African countries with whom we've developed strong links, like Uganda, Lesotho and Namibia. For our part, we're closely monitoring our vaccine requirements to ensure that excess doses of vaccine don't accumulate in Wales when they could be made better use of in COVAX.

Alongside this work, the Welsh Government has worked in other ways to help those with whom we've developed international links to respond to COVID-19, in response to our duty to be a globally responsible nation. For example, in September this year, the Welsh Government was proud to donate a substantial amount of surplus PPE equipment to Namibia to help them in their fight against COVID-19. The kit included over 1.1 million face masks, 300,000 lateral flow tests, 500,000 gowns, 100,000 protective aprons and over £1 million-worth of hand sanitiser. This was an excellent example of true partnership working. We all worked together: the Welsh Government, NHS Wales, the Phoenix Project at Cardiff University and the University of Namibia in order to get this PPE to places that had been crying out for support and helping those who are truly in need.

Although we cannot send vaccines from Wales, there is important work that we can do to support, and that's why over the past two years, the Welsh Government has provided an additional £2.5 million to Welsh organisations to work in partnership with many African nations to fight COVID-19.

Along with this work, the Welsh Government did adapt the Wales and Africa grant scheme in 2020 to use links already established over many years to fund grants for projects related to COVID-19. As a result of these contacts, Welsh organisations managed to respond swiftly to the pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa throughout 2020 and 2021, working with their partners in Africa to identify where support was most needed and how to get that support to the right people quickly.

In total, we have invested almost £3 million in projects to respond and adapt to COVID-19 abroad. This support provides essential oxygen supplies to hospitals, trains nurses to use that oxygen and helps children to return to school. It provides clean water, soap and crucial PPE; it raises awareness of COVID-19; it tries to eradicate misinformation, and emphasises the importance of taking the vaccine; and it helps people to get digital support in areas where it wasn't possible to provide it previously.

To conclude, Members will be aware that, in March 2020, my predecessor commissioned a review of Wales's international health activities in response to the Welsh Government's international strategy and the commitment to a responsible Wales on a global level. That review was conducted by the Tropical Health and Education Trust, and the trust published its findings and recommendations in the Wales and Africa Health Links Network conference earlier in November. Now, given the pressures facing our health and social care services as we face winter pressures on the one hand and respond to COVID on the other, I have asked my officials to consider the recommendations with external partners, and I will update the Senedd as this work proceeds early in the new year.

I hope that the information that I've provided today does give real evidence to Members of how seriously the Welsh Government is taking its responsibility to deliver a globally responsibly Wales, and also gives you a flavour of the steps that we have taken, steps that have helped some of those most in need in a time of global crisis, and steps that we here in Wales can be very proud of. Thank you very much.

I call on Heledd Fychan to reply to the debate.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Thank you to everyone that has contributed to today's debate. I have to say that I find it personally quite ironic to be opening and closing this particular debate on a day when I myself have tested positive for COVID, and when I am feeling extremely grateful that I have been doubly vaccinated for free, and therefore provided with greater protection to fight the virus. It makes me very conscious that everyone should be afforded the same opportunity.

If I may turn to the amendments to begin with, and perhaps explain why we won't be supporting the amendments put forward. Actually I will reference my colleague Delyth Jewell and the point that she made in terms of a recent freedom of information reply suggesting that over 600,000 vaccines were destroyed in August 2021 in the UK. Let that fact sink in. We heard Gareth Davies in his contribution, where there were quite a few insults, I think I would say, in terms of being simplistic, and so on, but I find it quite remarkable that you seem to be congratulating the UK Government for hoarding vaccines, which has then led to a surplus, and vaccinations being destroyed. I think we need to question the UK Government's approach there.

Similarly with Russell George, I'm glad that you welcome large parts of our motion today, but I think we do need to consider the UK's contribution here, and how it squares with the fact that the UK Government's been making the smallest contribution: as I mentioned, the stockpiling of vaccines here in the UK, and this idea that we put ourselves first and not thinking in terms of global responsibility. When we look then at the global impact, the Economist Intelligence unit estimates that countries with less than 60 per cent of their population vaccinated by mid-2022 will suffer GDP losses of $3.2 trillion between 2022 and 2025, and economic damage like this will send these countries into long-term debt, increase poverty and reduce spending on health systems, only further worsening this pandemic and increasing inequalities.

I was very pleased to hear all the positive and supportive comments from Jenny Rathbone, Jane Dodds, Rhun, John Griffiths and Delyth Jewell, and particularly from the Minister, Eluned Morgan. Thank you, and I echo your thanks to the NHS workers as well. I'm glad to have your support and it was great to hear that you have been advocating for further contributions to COVAX. When we know that COVAX countries are reported to still be sitting on up to 210 million surplus doses, I think it is crucial that every country plays its part in ensuring that it is a global response, and that we are all globally responsible nations. I have to say, listening to the Minister, it made me more convinced than ever why Wales needs to be an independent country, and how held back we are by being part of the UK, but that's another debate for another day.

Just to close, I do want to thank those Members who've indicated they will be supporting today, and we will work with everyone to ensure that Wales does play its part. When you think that the UK has fully vaccinated over 65 per cent of its population, whereas only 1.9 per cent of people in low and middle-income countries have received a single dose, we can understand why this global pandemic continues. There isn't one measure alone that can help us out of the pandemic, but by providing greater international funding and support, medical supplies and supporting the People’s Vaccine campaign, we can ensure that this is the most effective way to tackle the pandemic, support the economy, protect citizens and their interests while saving lives around the world. Therefore, I hope we will have your support today for our debate and motion, but not to support the amendment. Diolch. 

The proposal is to agree the motion without amendment. Does any Member object? [Objection.] Yes. Therefore, I will defer voting on the motion until voting time. 

Voting deferred until voting time.

In accordance with Standing Order 12.18, I will suspend the meeting temporarily before proceeding to voting time. 

Plenary was suspended at 17:31.

The Senedd reconvened at 17:35, with the Deputy Presiding Officer in the Chair.