A/76/257 resource allocation should prioritize the special needs of the most marginalized groups, 42 such as undocumented migrants and those in an irregular situation. 54. Grounded in international human rights law, the 2030 Agenda fo r Sustainable Development offers critical opportunities to further advance the realization of human rights for all people everywhere, without discrimination. Under target 3.8 of the Sustainable Development Goals, Member States are committed to “achieve uni versal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all”. C. Equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines 55. The right to health includes the obligation to provide immunization against major infectious diseases as a means to prevent, treat and control epidemic and other diseases, without discrimination of any kind. 43 In order to comply with such principle, an equitable access to vaccines is required. The World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that the allocation and prioritization of COVID -19 vaccination should take into consideration the vulnerabilities, risks and needs of groups that are at risk of experiencing greater burdens from the COVID-19 pandemic, including low-income migrant workers, asylum seekers, and vulnerable migrants in irregular situations. 44 56. The Special Rapporteur is concerned that too many migrants are still struggling to access vaccines, and together with the Committee on Migrant Workers and regional independent experts, he has urged States to provide equitable access to COVID -19 vaccination to all migrants regardless of nationality, migration status or other prohibited ground of discrimination. 45 D. Firewall protections and data protection 57. In order to ensure that migrants, in particular those undocumented or in an irregular situation, can effectively enjoy the right to health in the context of the pandemic, effective firewalls between immigration enforcement and the provision of essential services should be enacted. The absence of such firewalls and data protection protocols may raise concern and fear of reporting, detention, deportation and other penalties as result of their migration status among migrants in irregular situations. Such deterrence from seeking health care and COVID -19 vaccination can have dire consequences for their own health, as well as for community life and public health at large. 46 58. The Special Rapporteur has repeatedly emphasized the importance of enacting “firewalls” between immigration enforcement and public services, so that all migrants, irrespective of their migration status, can have access to essential services __________________ 42 43 44 45 46 12/22 Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, general comment No. 14 (art. 12). Ibid. See “WHO SAGE values framework for the allocation and prioritization of COVID -19 vaccination”, available from https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/334299; and “WHO SAGE roadmap for prioritizing uses of Covid-19 vaccines in the context of limited supply”, available from www.who.int/publications/i/item/who-sage-roadmap-for-prioritizing-uses-of-covid-19vaccines-in-the-context-of-limited-supply. See www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Migration/JointGuidanceNoteCOVID -19-Vaccines-forMigrants.pdf; see also Security Council resolution 2565 (2021), para. 9. See www.medact.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Patients-Not-Passports-Migrants-Access-toHealthcare-During-the-Coronavirus-Crisis.pdf; and www.compas.ox.ac.uk/project/city-initiativeon-irregular-migrants-in-europe-c-mise/. 21-10577