Lazarus Mccarthy Chakwera, President of Malawi, said releasing the vaccines is the starting point to end the pandemic, as the world must now decide between a future of solidarity or one of greed, where States hoard life-saving doses. Noting that the COVAX mechanism had serious problems in ensuring fair distribution plans for all States, he said the global health system, including the WHO, must be transformed to improve the situation and guarantee timely and equitable access to vaccines. Juan Orlando Hernández Alvarado, President of Honduras, raised concerns about fair access to COVID-19 vaccines and how countries are being treated unequally amid efforts to distribute doses in a prompt, effective manner. The fact his country and many others in Asia went through the COVID-19 crisis without substantial human rights conflicts demonstrates the advantage of the region’s communalistic culture over an individualistic one, he said, adding that it also revealed that the health sector was just as important as defence, requiring better risk management and preparedness as well as greater investment. Meanwhile, the spread of COVID-19 is decreasing and the Government is working towards re-establishing normalcy in everyday life. Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, President of Mongolia, said that thanks to the COVAX facility and support from other nations, 65 per cent of his country’s population is vaccinated. It adopted an optimistic attitude and put its development vision into practice, he said. “We must stop making use of these prejudices and move into new ideas.” Countries such as Madagascar dealt with the impact of COVID-19 better than expected.
“It is time for this perception to change,” he said. When speaking of Africa, there is a tendency to darken the reality. When people discuss developing countries, the “grim side of the story” is often foregrounded in the international arena. “Our home-grown solutions were our best weapon in this fight,” he stressed. Some leaders reported on their own positive development solutions in the wake of the economic crisis, with Andry Nirina Rajoelina, President of Madagascar, declaring: “We have seen we are not all equal” and countries such as his own have had to demonstrate ingenuity. “Access to concessional financing is of critical importance in rebooting our economy,” he said, calling for support of the multidimensional vulnerability index, as proposed by the small island developing States. Admitting the African Union to an expanded Group of Twenty (G20) would have a galvanizing affect, he said, emphasizing that an increase in representation would redefine global policy and allow for a more inclusive, sustainable world.Ĭhandrikapersad Santokhi, President of Suriname, urged that a post-COVID-19 strategy be developed, with a focus on improving vaccination levels, rebuilding economies, and setting up a recovery fund with the support of international financial institutions and the private sector. Indeed, key multilateral institutions must be repositioned to reflect inclusiveness and representative coverage with diverse leaders at the table. Calling for a constructive review based on equity, sustainability, and collective prosperity, he noted that if the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) or World Health Organization (WHO) were created today, they would be very different institutions, as African and Caribbean nations were not present at their establishment. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana, also expressed concern about the current structure of global economic organizations, stressing that they have proved inadequate for developing countries. Tourism in particular, a sector that supports nearly 14 per cent of the population, has been devastated, along with small- and medium-sized businesses in many other sectors. His country has suffered greatly due to the pandemic, he said. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka, stressed the vital need to adopt more initiatives on development financing and debt relief to support developing countries so they can emerge from uncertainty. Leaders from the Global South Call for Debt Relief, Access to Concessional Financing, While Others Urge Greater Investment in International Health Systemĭeveloping countries are suffering the brutal economic effects of COVID-19 disproportionately and require more comprehensive financing assistance in the wake of the pandemic, the General Assembly heard today as it continued its general debate with in-person and pre-recorded video messages from 29 Heads of State and Government.
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