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Biden supports the implementation of an international vaccination passport

The president and other G20 leaders signed a statement highlighting "the need for strengthening local and regional health product manufacturing capacities."

Pasaporte Covid

(Marco Verch Professional Photographer/ Flickr)

Published by
Rosana Rábago Sainz

Joe Biden and other G20 leaders agreed during the summit in Bali to adopt an international vaccine passport. The decision is embodied in Article 23 of the declaration signed by the G20 leaders and shared by the White House. In it they state that their intention is to "facilitate" foreign travel:

We acknowledge the importance of shared technical standards and verification methods, under the framework of the IHR (2005), to facilitate seamless international travel, interoperability, and recognizing digital solutions and non-digital solutions, including proof of vaccinations. We support continued international dialogue and collaboration on the establishment of trusted global digital health networks as part of the efforts to strengthen prevention and response to future pandemics, that should capitalize and build on the success of the existing standards and digital COVID-19 certificates.

Not only that, the article began by pointing out some measures that the G20 believed should be applied to face pandemics such as Covid-19:

We recognize the need for strengthening local and regional health product manufacturing capacities and cooperation as well as sustainable global and regional research and development networks to facilitate better access to VTDs globally, especially in developing countries, and underscore the importance of public-private partnership, and technology transfer and knowledge sharing on voluntary and mutually agreed terms.

The leaders assured that they would seek to implement a global health tracking system in addition to the aforementioned vaccine passport. The intention of creating these documents is to avoid another global shutdown, which experts do not rule out as a result of another future pandemic.

We support the WHO mRNA Vaccine Technology Transfer hub as well as all as the spokes in all regions of the world with the objective of sharing technology and technical know-how on voluntary and mutually agreed terms. We welcome joint research and joint production of vaccines, including enhanced cooperation among developing countries.

B20 supports the measure

The G20 summit was followed by a meeting of the business leaders of the G20 member countries, known as the B20. The attendees also thought it appropriate to implement this international vaccination passport. Budi Sadikin, Indonesia's Minister of Health, proposed creating a "a digital certificate acknowledged by WHO (World Health Organization)" to restrict and regulate foreign travel:

During his appearance, he noted that this document will allow that "if you have been vaccinated or tested properly, you can move around so for the next pandemic instead of stopping the movement of people 100% and the economy globally, you can still provide some movement of the people." He also explained that Indonesia will apply it soon and, after that, will present its plan to implement it worldwide.

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