GENEVA – Expressing concern about a lack of equitable access to mpox vaccines to all populations, which play a critical role in the prevention of an outbreak, a UN expert today demanded equity in the field of global health by providing vaccine access to all those in need. “Equitable vaccine access for all, including populations from the so-called global South is crucial,” said Tlaleng Mofokeng, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health. The Special Rapporteur stressed that “global access to mpox vaccines for everyone who needs them, is a human rights issue.” As the mpox outbreak has been declared a “public health emergency of international concern” by WHO, Mofokeng warned that countries in Africa were already dealing with the presence of the virus. “States, in particular those from the global North have an active role to play in providing global solidarity,” Mofokeng said. “Businesses must not put profits before saving lives.” “Surveillance, preparedness and response activities related to mpox should be coordinated in a manner that includes all groups of the population, including people with disabilities, older persons, indigenous peoples, internally displaced people, people affected by extreme poverty and living in overcrowded settings, people who live in residential institutions, people in detention, homeless people, migrants and refugees, people who use drugs, LGBTIQ+ people,” the expert said. She urged coordinated action, guided by a commitment to creating a world with equal opportunity to realising the right to health for all. “To this end, promoting vaccine equity between and within countries is crucial,” Mofokeng said. “There is an opportunity now for donors to contribute to equitable outcomes,” she said, calling for a coordinated international response to saving lives by ensuring access to mpox vaccines. The expert: Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. The Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity. For further information and media requests, please contact: Ms. Karin Hechenleitner Schacht (+41 22 917 8458 / karin.hechenleitner@un.org). For media enquiries regarding other UN independent experts, please contact Dharisha Indraguptha (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org) or John Newland (john.newland@un.org) Follow news related to the UN"s independent human rights experts on Twitter @UN_SPExperts.