Dhaka calls for sharing vaccine production technology

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has said the 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 made the call at the high-level thematic debate on "Galvanizing Momentum for Universal Vaccination" at UNGA hall on Friday.

The foreign minister is in New York on an official visit.

He will present Bangladesh’s amended documents to the commission on the limits of the continental shelf at the UN on March 1, said the Bangladesh mission at UN.

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 Organization, as well as ministers and senior political leaders of the UN member states.

Citing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s earlier call to treat Covid-19 vaccine as a “global public good”, the foreign minister said 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 decentralized to meet the global demand. The global community must combat the vaccine misinformation and vaccine nationalism,” Momen said.

In the context of combating Covid-19 and its management in Bangladesh, the foreign minister elaborated its timely initiatives including strengthening the healthcare system from the grassroots, 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.

As of mid-February 2022, over 101 million people of Bangladesh had received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

"To effectively combat this pandemic, we have a plan to vaccinate at least 80% of our population, which is around 132 million, as soon as possible," Momen said.

Mentioning that the global community must realize that no one is safe until everyone is safe, the 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.