Historical Analysis Of Global Vaccine Diplomacy

Vaccine diplomacy,as a subordinate branch of health diplomacy,plays a unique role in the global health governance interaction.Starting from the definition of diplomacy and vaccine diplomacy,the paper takes states,intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental actors as the entry point,combines the historical facts of international vaccine interaction in different periods,divides the history of vaccine diplomacy into four parts on the base of its characteristics,and finally provides thinking and reflection on the current vaccine diplomacy.Phase Ⅰ is the moderate interaction of the pre-war period(pre-1948).During this period,early sovereign states covered the activities of official vaccine exchanges,while vaccine-related intergovernmental organizations had not yet emerged.Early expatriates and biomedical scientists became the main role of non-governmental actors and the actual liaison body to promote vaccine interaction.The aim of the vaccine interaction at this time is vaccination technology exchange and to improve health control and prevention.After the emergence of modern vaccines,Europe replaced China to lead the global vaccine interaction.Phase Ⅱ was the confrontational cooperation after WWII(1948-2000),which ended with the formal establishment of WHO in 1948 and ended in the millennium.At this stage,the interaction of sovereign states was reflected in the realization of vaccine scientific cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War,and medical scientists still participated in the international practice of vaccine interaction as non-governmental actors.In terms of intergovernmental organizations,the establishment of the WHO has built the embryonic framework of the international mechanism,created a number of global health and epidemic prevention achievements,and achieved the diplomatic coordination role of the "vaccine ceasefire" after the Cold War.Phase Ⅲ is the early 21 century period(2001-2019),which started from 2001 to the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2019.During this period,among the sovereign states,there were debates on vaccine sovereignty and equitable distribution in Indonesia,while the official vaccine diplomacy practice of leading power,the United States,has already practiced vaccine foreign policy.Intergovernmental organizations,represented by the WHO and the UN,have made further progress in the international epidemic prevention.As non-governmental actors,public-private organizations and private charities have actively participated in the international multilateral diplomacy on vaccines,providing an important complement of resources.But it also exposed a north-south imbalance in vaccine distribution.Phase Ⅳ is vaccine diplomacy during the COVID-19 pandemic(2020-present).It started with the official declaration of COVID-19 as a PHEIC event in 2020 and is still in the transition period.At this stage,unilateral actions by all sovereign states and multilateral mutual assistance to seek strength through unity both took place.The imbalance of vaccine distribution under the international mechanism remained,while the coordination effect of COVAX mechanism was limited.However,the role of public and private organizations and vaccine manufacturers as non-governmental actors has become more prominent.Finally,according to the above characteristics,this paper concludes the current thinking and reflections on vaccine diplomacy.In one hand,vaccine technology has significant medical and strategic value,and the role of vaccine production capacity in safeguarding the right to health and national security of a country’s citizens cannot be ignored.In another hand,vaccine diplomacy of great powers should give play to the universal medical value of vaccines,and a favorable multilateral diplomatic situation on vaccines can be opened up without violating the premise of sustainable development.