UNITED NATIONS: As the chair of the Group of 77, Pakistan on Thursday suggested that vaccines should be declared a global public good to help developing countries combat pandemics.
The UN General Assembly held a special session on Thursday to consider options for “protecting our planet and being prepared for the future”.
“The group believes vaccines should be declared a global public good. We also support the (UN) Secretary-General’s proposal for a global vaccination plan,” said Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Munir Akram while addressing the gathering.
Mr Akram is the current chairperson of the group known as G-77 and China.
The group also sought clarification on the proposed global vaccination plan’s interlinkage with the World Health Organisation’s strategy to achieve global Covid-19 vaccination by mid-2022.
Group of 77, which looks after the interests of developing countries at the UN, informed the UNGA that they need immediate access to health technologies for Covid-19, including through flexibilities contained in various international agreements and enhanced support through the Covid-19 Technology Access Pool.
Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2022
