“First, they view the world in a geopolitical context and NATO and EU members come first in the global order of importance,” Patel says. “Hence billions can be spent on just one country such as Ukraine or Israel, but little on the poorer nations of the world.”
“For Western nations and pharma companies, Africa was seen as a market to make money during the pandemic, and they made billions in profit,” Patel states. “Only China and Russia provided the developing world and Africa with vaccines as part of humanitarian and solidarity support.”
“Let us not forget the assistance and investments from Russia and China in these regions,” Professor van Wyk notes. “The latter two states do not always announce the size of their assistance.”
“Hence, no fair investment or trade rules at the WTO and G7 and G20,” the researcher states. “Without fair trade, Africa is then depended on foreign donor aid, which comes with many unfair prescriptive conditions.”
“Today, ironically, the humanitarian work in Ukraine is well-supported by donors, but the downside is that the rest of the world is underfunded, and that's a reality for the ICRC,” Mardini told Sputnik. “I would argue that there is today a lack of funding for the vast majority of humanitarian settings, starting with Africa.”