Leave no one behind: ensuring access to COVID-19 vaccines for refugee and displaced populations

The rising toll of the COVID-19 pandemic and concerns about emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants have underscored the urgency of a rapid, equitable and inclusive rollout of vaccines against COVID-19. However, as the world grapples with supply challenges and inequitable vaccine access on local and global scales, marginalized groups, particularly refugees, internally displaced persons and stateless persons, will face a double burden of access, even within countries that are themselves marginalized on the global stage.

This paper calls for a coordinated, comprehensive and global approach to vaccine access – science and need, not wealth, nationality or legal status, should guide vaccine allocation and prioritisation.