Mexico's economic diplomatic strategy against COVID-19 --- Vaccine supply ordered by President Obrador was to find abroad companies that could sell doses to Mexico to meet the growing number of infections in the country, which has been one of the highest worldwide. The intention of Mexico was not to vaccinate the diaspora, since most of the Mexican community lives and works in the United States, so their vaccination was quick and effective in that country with doses of Moderna and Pfizer. However, internally, as Mexico does not yet produce vaccines against COVID-19 (the manufacture of a vaccine called “Patria” is in process), the President entrusted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This initiative was not for commercial purposes as you thought nor did it seek to sell vaccines abroad, but an unprecedented economic diplomatic effort with the support of Embassies and Consulates to ensure the acquisition of vaccines. The payment and conditions of the contracts were in charge of the Ministry of Health and it was not to guarantee country's economic growth, but to reduce the mortality rates that were growing internally. On December 24, 2021, started the first stage of vaccines application against SARS-CoV-2 virus in Mexico City, State of Mexico and Querétaro, at the time of implementing that initiative (July 2020) no country around the world had vaccines approved against COVID-19.

Why was the task assigned to the MFA? Although it is not part of your questions, I would like to share with participants that it was because the President identified that the Ministry of Health had problems coordinating that effort at the international level to find vaccines and guarantee that Mexico counted on the doses in a timely manner. Internally, there has been criticism regarding vaccination speed. The MFA has been very clear in its position, this internal vaccination task does not correspond to it, but to the Federal Ministry of Health. However, as the search of doses and companies were assigned to the MFA's Directorate General for Global Economic Impulse, it remains then one of the newest economic diplomacy task carried out by this Office under the tutelage of the Undersecretariat for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights relying on a network of 160 Embassies and Consulates to accomplish this mission.

Source author: Cecilia Treemonisha Barros Ruiz cbarros@sre.gob.mx