Pakistan joins new UN campaign to make coronavirus vaccines available to all

Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Munir Akram said Pakistan joined a new United Nations public advocacy campaign 'Only Together', which calls for coronavirus vaccines to be available to everyone and everywhere to help contain the deadly pandemic, in a tweet on Friday.

As the president of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), he also called for ensuring that all UN peacekeepers receive the Covid-19 vaccine “quickly and equitably”, further adding that It was vital to control the pandemic for quick recovery of virus-hit world economies.

"With the promise of vaccines, we can see light at the end of the tunnel and the vaccines must be considered a global public good", UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a video message earlier.

"The coronavirus pandemic has underscored the importance of upgrading health systems, especially in developing countries, to respond to infectious disease outbreaks," Akram had stated in January. “Our response towards all epidemics, especially the one that engulfs us today, should be of solidarity and international cooperation", he added.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has also called for a comprehensive response to overcome the challenge posed by the linkage between conflict and food security, in the UN. Speaking at a debate in the Security Council Akram also said that through concerted international efforts, we must address not only the symptoms but also underlying causes.