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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday demanded appropriate global action for “universal and affordable” vaccine access to all for Covid-free world in her 76th UN General Assembly address warning that the current “vaccine-divides” trend would only linger the pandemic.
“For a Covid-free world, we must ensure universal and affordable access to vaccines for people across the world,” she told in her UNGA address in Bangla as previous years, following Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s footprint.
The prime minister also expressed her grave concern over growing trend of “vaccine divides” pointing out World Bank reports suggesting high and upper middle-income countries received so far 84 per cent of vaccines against less than one per cent by low-income countries.
“This vaccine inequality must be urgently addressed ... we cannot chart out a sustainable recovery and be safe by leaving millions behind,” she said, demanding a UN declaration calling Covid-19 vaccines as a “global public goods” in the weeklong UNGA general debate that began on September 21.
She said the last 75th UNGA remained largely unheeded although many countries echoed the same but “we must demonstrate our ability to work and act together on global common issues and create space for new partnerships and solutions”.
“And that must start right here at the UN; with the member states; across regions; rising above narrow political interests... it has also put a spotlight on the critical need for global solidarity and collaboration to effective Covid-19 response,” the prime minister said.
Sheikh Hasina said vaccine technologies must be transferred immediately across the globe to ensure vaccine equity, saying, “Bangladesh is ready to produce vaccines in mass scale if technical know-how is shared with us and patent waiver is granted”.
She placed several proposals to contain the global pandemic, saying only a meaningful collaboration towards a resilient and inclusive recovery could combat the pandemic though it so far brought to the fore the inadequacy of the global response to tackle emergencies.
Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Rabab Fatima chaired the session coinciding with the prime minister’s address in the UNGA where 100 heads of government and state were speaking in person.
Climate change, Rohingya crisis, Palestine and Afghanistan issues concerning the global as well as Bangladesh perspectives were featured in Sheikh Hasina’s speech.
She said alongside Bangladesh calls for vaccine equality, “Our firm position against any form of injustice as against the Palestinian people, resolution of the Rohingya crisis, and promoting climate justice - (which) are a few examples of our global commitment”.
On the Afghan crisis, she said Bangladesh wants Afghanistan’s people to decide the course of the future themselves while Bangladesh is ready to continue to work with international community for the country’s economic development.
