Lessons from the pandemic on access to health in Mexico and Central America from a feminist intersectional perspective

Natalia Marsicovetere Fanjul

In 2024, the Feminist for a People’s Vaccine (FPV) held three regional workshops in Cape Town (South Africa), Ciudad de Mexico (Mexico), and Bangkok (Thailand). These workshops focused on learning lessons from the pandemic in Africa, Latin America, and Asia and the Pacific.

Feminist scholars, advocates, and activists gathered to discuss crucial issues such as the negative impact of power imbalances between the global North and South, the detrimental outcomes of Intellectual Property Regimes on public health policy, the severe austerity measures imposed by the International Monetary Fund, the rise in economic inequality and the intersections of the digitalization of health with data privacy and healthcare access and what must change for a just future.

In addition to these discussions, feminist scholars and activists produced research papers analyzing the specific impacts of COVID-19 in their respective regions and countries. Commissioned by DAWN, these studies provide in-depth examinations of how the pandemic exacerbated existing inequalities, shaped public health responses, and influenced economic and social policies. The findings highlight the urgent need for feminist approaches to global health governance, economic justice, and equitable access to medicines and vaccines.