UN chief says Covid-19 vaccine should be a global public good

especiales

By:

Fecha de publicación:

22 September 2020

Imagen principal:

United Nations, Sep 22 (Prensa Latina) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reaffirmed on Tuesday that treatments, therapies and future vaccines to fight Covid-19 should be a global public good, but some countries already do business to benefit their population.

'None of us is safe, until all of us are safe,' Guterres said in his opening speech to the high-level UN General Assembly debate.

Faced with the enormous challenge of the pandemic, the UN system and the World Health Organization are leading efforts to save lives and provide medical supplies to more than 130 nations, as well as vital assistance to the most vulnerable countries, the UN chief said.

Guterres also emphasized the need to have rescue packages for developing countries, as 'we cannot allow them fall into debt commitments' in the context of the pandemic.

We must take advantage of the occasion to set the foundations for a better world and some agendas such as the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement, can guide us, the Portuguese diplomat said.

For this reason, the top UN official called on the entire international community to stand together in the face of the pandemic, as when countries only pursue their own interests, the virus spreads.

The high-level UN General Assembly debate in its 75th period of sessions is being held from this Tuesday to September 29, mostly virtually, as senior officials will present their speeches in video messages.