Submitted by Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW-AP), and Third World Network (TWN), on behalf of the Feminists for a People’s Vaccine Campaign (FPV)

Feminists from the #Fem4PeoplesVaccine campaign went to the UN to denounce TRIPS as a broken model of health innovation and to demand the UK’s accountability for the right to health.

Everyone has the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications, as established in Article 15(1)(b) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

Yet the UK has used TRIPS to justify monopolies over medicines that restrict access and deepen global inequalities. Despite its commitments to prioritize public health, the UK imposed export restrictions, hoarded vaccines, and undermined equitable access during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The shadow report urges the UK to ensure its pharmaceutical companies end anti-generic practices and uphold their human rights obligations—at home and abroad—by aligning corporate behavior with international human rights law.