Translate the text from English to Welsh.



 
I am pleased to be making this statement today about vaccine equity, at the same time as my Scottish Government counterpart Neil Gray, the Minister for International Development.


Since the world’s first Covid\-19 vaccine was administered in the UK in December 2020, more than 139m doses have been administered as part of the largest ever vaccination programme in UK history. The impact of this achievement is monumental.


In Wales, it is estimated that around 7,000 deaths and 10,000 hospital admissions have been prevented as a result of the vaccination programme. Thanks to the success of our vaccination programme, we are now in the fortunate position in Wales – and throughout the UK – to be able to move beyond the emergency response to the pandemic and learn to live safely with coronavirus.


However, it is important to be clear that the pandemic is not yet over and it remains uncertain how the virus may develop in the future. Ensuring vaccines are available to everyone, everywhere, is critical to ending the pandemic as quickly as possible.


Vaccination rates for first and second doses remain low in many countries across the globe. As of 16 May 2022, only 13% of people in low\-income countries have received two doses of a Covid\-19 vaccine.


In Malawi, one of Scotland’s International Development Fund partner countries, only 5% of people have received two doses. In Namibia, where the Welsh Government supports a strong partnership between Cardiff University and the University of Namibia, the vaccination rate is 20%.


This is why, today, the Scottish and Welsh governments are standing in solidarity with our Global South partners to continue to push for meaningful progress on creating the conditions for equitable access to Covid\-19 vaccines.


Without equitable access, many countries will continue to experience high levels of severe illness and deaths from Covid\-19\. This will put significant pressure on healthcare systems, disrupt much\-needed economic recovery and leave the world’s most vulnerable people exposed to an increased risk of poverty and hunger.


Without high\-levels of vaccination at a global level, the SARS\-CoV\-2 virus may continue to mutate, cross borders, and potentially undermine the efficacy of our Covid\-19 vaccines and treatments, including here in the UK. Ensuring equitable access to vaccines is not only a moral imperative, but is critical to safeguarding global health security.


So far, bilateral donations and funding to COVAX have formed a central pillar of the global pandemic response. The UK Government’s participation in COVAX has been an important step in enabling other nations to access Covid\-19 vaccines. And we commend the government for all donations already delivered and further donations they have committed to.


However, globally, contributions to COVAX have fallen short of initial funding commitments. In addition, the unpredictability, and late delivery of doses has undermined effective planning for their administration in many recipient countries.


Crucially, vaccine donations are unlikely to support vaccine supply\-chain sustainability. This is why it is critical to expand production capacity to enable countries to foster long\-term vaccine self\-sufficiency.


On 12 May, the United States, Belize, Germany, Indonesia, and Senegal co\-hosted the Second Global Covid\-19 summit, to assess progress made on addressing the pandemic and identify action needed to tackle Covid\-19\. While the summit secured $3bn in new funding commitments, this figure falls short of the estimated $31\.1bn needed to end the pandemic. It is clear that meeting this unprecedented challenge will require a more innovative and ambitious approach. 


As part of this solution, more than 100 countries have called for the temporary suspension of international obligations to protect intellectual property rights, defined under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) TRIPS agreement, in relation to Covid\-19 vaccines. This temporary waiver would allow for the expansion of critical access to patents necessary to safely and efficiently manufacture Covid\-19 vaccines in developing countries. Yet, despite growing global support, and a compromise solution being tabled between the EU, US, India and South Africa, a waiver continues to be opposed by a small group of predominantly high\-income countries, including the UK.


Our statement today builds on letters sent by the First Minister of Scotland and the First Minister of Wales to the Prime Minister in December 2021 urging support for a temporary TRIPS waiver.


We want to make clear that our governments support a temporary TRIPS waiver that will enable diversification in the production of Covid\-19 vaccines. Ongoing negotiations at the WTO present the opportunity for a comprehensive TRIPS waiver to be agreed at the upcoming Ministerial Conference in June.


We strongly urge the UK Government to drop its opposition to a waiver and support the global effort to reach a meaningful agreement.


Agreeing a TRIPS waiver could potentially make the production of life\-saving vaccines accessible to a broader range of countries and protect billions of people in the world’s most vulnerable countries.


Countries in the Global South need support to address logistical challenges, which may prevent vaccines from reaching people’s arms. Our two governments have collectively provided more than £7m to help address such challenges in our partner countries. This includes £4\.2m from the Scottish Government to support equitable access to Covid\-19 vaccines and therapeutics in Zambia, Malawi and Rwanda and £3\.2m from the Welsh Government to support public information campaigns, handwashing and improved access to oxygen in a number of sub\-Saharan African countries.


We encourage the international community to continue to provide technical and logistical support, so vaccines can be delivered and administered efficiently, safely and equitably.


We urge global partners to prioritise equitable access to Covid\-19 vaccines as a central pillar in our combined response to the global pandemic.


We will continue to call on the UK government to drop their opposition to the TRIPS waiver. We have a collective responsibility to do this and now is the time to act.







Translation:


 
Rwy’n falch o wneud y datganiad hwn heddiw am frechu teg, ar yr un pryd â’m gweinidog cyfatebol yn Llywodraeth yr Alban, Neil Gray, y Gweinidog Datblygu Rhyngwladol.


Ers i frechlyn Covid\-19 cyntaf y byd gael ei weinyddu yn y DU fis Rhagfyr 2020, mae dros 139 miliwn o ddosau wedi’u gweinyddu fel rhan o’r rhaglen frechu fwyaf erioed yn hanes y DU. Mae effaith y llwyddiant hwn yn enfawr.


Yng Nghymru, amcangyfrifir bod tua 7,000 o farwolaethau a 10,000 o dderbyniadau i’r ysbyty wedi’u hatal o ganlyniad i’r rhaglen frechu. Diolch i lwyddiant ein rhaglen, rydym nawr yn y sefyllfa ffodus yng Nghymru – a ledled y DU – lle gallwn ni symud y tu hwnt i’r ymateb brys i’r pandemig a dysgu byw’n ddiogel gyda’r coronafeirws.


Serch hynny, mae’n bwysig pwysleisio nad yw’r pandemig drosodd eto ac mae’n ansicr o hyd sut y gallai’r feirws ddatblygu yn y dyfodol. Mae sicrhau bod brechlynnau ar gael i bawb ym mhobman yn hanfodol i roi diwedd ar y pandemig mor gyflym â phosibl.


Mae cyfraddau brechu ar gyfer dos cyntaf ac ail ddos yn parhau’n isel mewn llawer o wledydd ar draws y byd. Ar 16 Mai 2022, dim ond 13% o bobl mewn gwledydd incwm isel a oedd wedi cael dau ddos o frechlyn Covid\-19\.


Ym Malawi, gwlad sy’n un o bartneriaid Cronfa Datblygu Rhyngwladol yr Alban, dim ond 5% o bobl sydd wedi cael dau ddos. Yn Namibia, lle mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi partneriaeth gref rhwng Prifysgol Caerdydd a Phrifysgol Namibia, 20% yw’r gyfradd frechu.


Dyna pam y mae Llywodraeth Cymru a Llywodraeth yr Alban, heddiw, yn sefyll gyda’n partneriaid yn Ne’r Byd i barhau i fynnu am gynnydd ystyrlon o ran creu’r amodau ar gyfer mynediad teg at frechlynnau Covid\-19\.


Heb fynediad teg, bydd lefelau uchel o salwch difrifol a marwolaethau yn sgil Covid\-19 yn parhau mewn llawer o wledydd. Bydd hyn yn rhoi cryn bwysau ar systemau gofal iechyd, yn amharu ar adferiad economaidd mawr ei angen ac yn rhoi’r bobl fwyaf agored i niwed yn y byd mewn mwy o berygl o fynd i dlodi a newyn.


Heb lefelau brechu uchel ar draws y byd, mae’n bosibl y bydd feirws SARS\-CoV\-2 yn parhau i fwtadu, croesi ffiniau, ac efallai danseilio effeithiolrwydd ein brechlynnau a’n triniaethau ar gyfer Covid\-19, gan gynnwys yma yn y DU. Mae sicrhau mynediad teg at frechlynnau yn rheidrwydd moesol, ond mae hefyd yn hanfodol i sicrhau diogelwch iechyd byd\-eang.


Hyd yma, mae rhoddion a chyllid dwyochrog i COVAX wedi bod yn ganolog i’r ymateb byd\-eang i’r pandemig. Mae cyfranogiad Llywodraeth y DU yn COVAX wedi bod yn gam pwysig tuag at alluogi gwledydd eraill i gael mynediad at frechlynnau Covid\-19\. Rydym yn cymeradwyo’r Llywodraeth am yr holl roddion sydd eisoes wedi’u gwneud a’r rhoddion pellach y mae wedi ymrwymo iddynt.


Fodd bynnag, yn fyd\-eang, mae cyfraniadau at COVAX wedi syrthio’n fyr o’r ymrwymiadau ariannu cychwynnol. Yn ogystal, mae natur anrhagweladwy’r sefyllfa, a dosau sydd wedi’u danfon yn hwyr, wedi tanseilio ymdrechion i gynllunio’n effeithiol ar gyfer eu gweinyddu mewn llawer o wledydd.


Yn hanfodol, mae rhoi brechlynnau yn annhebygol o gefnogi cynaliadwyedd cadwyn gyflenwi brechlynnau. Dyna pam y mae’n hanfodol ehangu capasiti cynhyrchu i alluogi gwledydd i fod yn hunangynhaliol o ran brechlynnau yn yr hirdymor.


Ar 12 Mai, gwnaeth yr Unol Daleithiau, Belize, yr Almaen, Indonesia, a Senegal gynnal ar y cyd yr ail uwchgynhadledd Covid\-19 fyd\-eang, i asesu ymdrechion i fynd i’r afael â’r pandemig a nodi camau angenrheidiol i daclo Covid\-19\. Er i’r uwchgynhadledd sicrhau $3 biliwn mewn ymrwymiadau ariannu newydd, mae’r ffigur hwn yn syrthio’n fyr o’r hyn a amcangyfrifir sydd ei angen i roi diwedd ar y pandemig, sef $31\.1 biliwn. Mae’n glir y bydd angen gweithredu’n fwy arloesol ac uchelgeisiol i fynd i’r afael â’r her ddigynsail hon.


Fel rhan o hyn, mae dros 100 o wledydd wedi galw am atal dros dro rwymedigaethau rhyngwladol sy’n diogelu hawliau eiddo deallusol mewn perthynas â brechlynnau Covid\-19\. Caiff y rhwymedigaethau hyn eu diffinio o dan Gytundeb ar Agweddau ar Hawliau Eiddo Deallusol sy'n Gysylltiedig â Masnach (TRIPS) Sefydliad Masnach y Byd (WTO). Byddai eu hepgor dros dro yn caniatáu ehangu mynediad hanfodol at batentau sy’n angenrheidiol i weithgynhyrchu brechlynnau Covid\-19 yn ddiogel ac yn effeithlon mewn gwledydd sy’n datblygu. Ac eto, er bod cefnogaeth fyd\-eang ar gynnydd, a bod datrysiad cyfaddawdol wedi’i gynnig rhwng yr UE, yr Unol Daleithiau, India a De Affrica, mae grŵp bach o wledydd, y mwyafrif ohonynt yn rhai incwm uchel, gan gynnwys y DU, yn parhau i wrthwynebu hepgor y rhwymedigaethau hyn.


Mae ein datganiad heddiw yn ychwanegu at lythyrau a anfonwyd gan Brif Weinidog yr Alban a Phrif Weinidog Cymru at Brif Weinidog y DU fis Rhagfyr 2021 yn ei annog i gefnogi hepgor TRIPS dros dro.


Rydym am ei gwneud yn glir bod ein llywodraethau yn cefnogi hepgor TRIPS dros dro. Bydd hyn yn galluogi amrywiaeth o ran cynhyrchu brechlynnau Covid\-19\. Mae trafodaethau sy’n mynd rhagddynt yn WTO yn cynnig cyfle i gytuno ar hepgoriad TRIPS cynhwysfawr yn y Gynhadledd Weinidogol fis Mehefin.


Rydym yn erfyn ar Lywodraeth y DU i ollwng ei gwrthwynebiad i hepgor TRIPS a chefnogi’r ymdrech fyd\-eang i ddod i gytundeb ystyrlon.


Gallai cytuno i hepgor TRIPS sicrhau bod cynhyrchu brechlynnau hanfodol yn hygyrch i ystod ehangach o wledydd a diogelu biliynau o bobl yn y gwledydd mwyaf agored i niwed yn y byd.


Mae angen cymorth ar wledydd yn Ne’r Byd i ddelio â heriau logistaidd, heriau a allai atal brechlynnau rhag cyrraedd breichiau pobl. Mae ein dwy lywodraeth rhyngddynt wedi darparu dros £7 miliwn i helpu i fynd i’r afael â heriau o’r fath yn y gwledydd yr ydym wedi ffurfio partneriaethau â nhw. Mae hyn yn cynnwys £4\.2 miliwn gan Lywodraeth yr Alban i gefnogi mynediad teg at frechlynnau Covid\-19 a chymorth therapiwtig yn Zambia, Malawi a Rwanda, a £3\.2 miliwn gan Lywodraeth Cymru i gefnogi ymgyrchoedd gwybodaeth i’r cyhoedd, golchi dwylo a gwell mynediad at ocsigen mewn nifer o wledydd yn Affrica Is\-Sahara.


Rydym yn annog y gymuned ryngwladol i barhau i roi cymorth technegol a logistaidd fel y gellir darparu a gweinyddu brechlynnau yn effeithlon, yn ddiogel ac yn deg.


Rydym yn erfyn ar bartneriaid byd\-eang i flaenoriaethu mynediad teg at frechlynnau Covid\-19, rhywbeth a ddylai fod wrth wraidd ein hymateb cyfunol i’r pandemig byd\-eang.


Byddwn yn parhau i alw ar Lywodraeth y DU i ollwng ei gwrthwynebiad i hepgor TRIPS. Mae gennym gyfrifoldeb ar y cyd i wneud hyn a nawr yw’r amser i weithredu