The present report, prepared pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 46/14, contains an examination of the human rights implications of the lack of affordable, timely, equitable and universal access and distribution of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines and the deepening inequalities between States, highlighting that vaccine delays not only have grave health consequences, but also have other profound human rights implications. Lack of access to vaccines is also a driving force behind the sharply divergent economic recoveries from the earlier waves of the pandemic, reversing hard won progress on realizing the Sustainable Development Goals and pushing developing countries further behind.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights calls for urgent action by all relevant actors to eliminate existing obstacles to ensuring that COVID - 19 vaccines reach everyone. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the value of integrating human rightsbased approaches into efforts aimed at health emergency preparedness, response and recovery. Any recovery must address the root causes of inequality, political and economic instability and displacement. Building back better from the pandemic will require the implementation of the full spectrum of human rights, as affirmed by the Secretary - General in “Our common agenda”. As he affirmed in “The highest aspiration: a call to action for human rights”, it is also crucial to ensure that human rights principles inform the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.