Petition for Equitable Distribution of Vaccines

The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is a worldwide Christian communion of 241 member bodies in 126 countries and territories representing 169,000 churches and 47 million direct members. This includes the BWA Forum on Aid and Development (BFAD), a network of aid agencies in every region of the world that invests millions of dollars (USD) annually in aid, relief, and community development.

Together, the Baptist World Alliance affirms that “in Jesus Christ all people are equal. We oppose all forms of slavery, racism, apartheid and ethnic cleansing and so will do all in our power to address and confront these sins.”

We acknowledge the solidarity shared by the millions of Baptists and non-Baptists alike in the face of the suffering caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic. As we move into 2021, we also recognize our responsibility to participate in the solution to this crisis. We do so by:

• Calling for the cooperation of governments to support systems of coordinated mass vaccination and enhance access to vaccinations through aid and economic innovations;
• Urging Baptists globally to participate in enabling global vaccination;
• Repudiating unhelpful narratives associated with mass vaccination and asking Baptists and all people of goodwill to do so as well; and
• Issuing a clarion call for just access to available COVID-19 vaccines globally including six specific steps of justice necessary for equitable global access and a shared solidarity in addressing a global pandemic.

Rev. Tomás Mackey, PhD
President
Baptist World Alliance
Argentina