The Fight for Global Health Justice : The Advocacy of International Humanitarian and Development NGOs During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The increasing health inequity and injustice of
the COVID-19 pandemic rendered visible the inadequacy
of global health governance, and exposed the self-inter-
ested decision-making of states and pharmaceutical com-
panies. This research explores the advocacy activities of
humanitarian and development international non-govern-
mental organizations (INGOs) in responding to this
inequality and investigates how they framed alternatives
for global health justice. It reviews 47 organizational
documents and 43 media articles of five INGOs (Actio-
nAid, Me´decins Sans Frontie`res, Oxfam, Save the Chil-
dren, and World Vision) and points to the importance of
understanding advocacy frames in analyzing how these
organizations prioritize agendas and advocacy strategies.
The dominance of the ‘human rights’ frame, sometimes in
combination with ‘scientific evidence’ and ‘security’
frames, reflects the identities, mandates, and histories of
campaigning and collaboration of these INGOs. This paper
contends that the advocacy of humanitarian and develop-
ment INGOs highlights both deontological and teleological
ethics, promoting the voices of people in lower-income
countries, clarifying duty bearers and their accountabilities,
and addressing structural barriers from a human rights
perspective in a global health agenda setting.

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