Foreign minister calls for sharing vaccine technology

Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen has called for sharing technology and know-how of vaccine production through global mechanism, reports news agency BSS.

“Technology and know-how of Covid-19 vaccine production should be shared immediately through a global mechanism so that countries like Bangladesh with pharmaceutical capabilities can produce and distribute vaccines at a mass scale” he said.

The foreign minister was addressing at the high-level thematic debate on ‘Galvanizing Momentum for Universal Vaccination’ at United Nation General Assembly Hall in New York on Friday, a press release said on Saturday.

The high-level event was convened by the president of the UN General Assembly, which was addressed by a number of heads of states and heads of governments, the UN Secretary-General, Director-General of the World Health Organisation, as well as the ministers and senior political leaders of the UN member states.

Citing prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s earlier call to treat Covid vaccine as “Global Public Good”, the foreign minister said that developed countries and manufacturers must ensure vaccine supply to the Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) facility on an equity basis.

“Vaccine production needs to be enhanced and decentralised to meet the global demand. The global community must combat the vaccine misinformation and vaccine nationalism” he said.

In the context of combating the Covid and its management in Bangladesh, the foreign minister elaborated its timely initiatives, such as, strengthening the healthcare system from the grassroots level, and distribution of direct cash and other assistance to the most vulnerable sections of the country to ensure the critical balance between lives and livelihoods.

Noting that as of mid-February 2022, over 101 million people of Bangladesh have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 Vaccine, he said, “We have a plan to vaccinate at least 80 per cent of our population, which is around 132 million, as soon as possible.”

Mentioning that the global community must realise that no one is safe until everyone is safe, Bangladesh’s foreign minister urged the international community to join hands together to ensure universal vaccination, and save the lives of people and the economies of the world.

Later, on the same day, a bilateral meeting was held between Bangladesh’s foreign minister and Canada’s international development minister Harjit Sajjan at the Indonesian Lounge in the UNHQs.

Momen updated the Canadian minister about the ongoing situation of Rohingya and sought his government cooperation in repatriating Rohingyas to Myanmar.

Sajjan assured Canada’s support for the repatriation of the Rohingya and praised Bangladesh’s generosity in providing shelter and humanitarian assistance to the persecuted Rohingya population.

The foreign minister also drew attention of the government of Canada for the repatriation of Nur Chowdhury, one of the convicted killers of Bangladesh’s founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Momen is now in New York for an official visit and he is schedule to present Bangladesh’s amended documents to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) at the UN on 1 March.