UNITED NATIONS (AP) – Britain on Friday circulated a draft resolution to the UN Security Council demanding that all warring parties immediately institute a “sustained humanitarian pause” to get people in conflict areas vaccinated for COVID-19.
The proposed resolution reiterates the Council’s demand on 1 July for a ‘general and immediate cessation of hostilities’ in major conflicts between Syria and Yemen to the Republic of Central Africa, Mali and Sudan and Somalia. The appeal was only made on March 23, 2020 by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
The concept “emphasizes the need for solidarity, fairness and efficiency and invites donations of vaccine doses from developed economies to low- and middle-income countries and other countries in need, including through the COVAX facility,” an ambitious World Health Organization project to buy and delivers coronavirus vaccines to the poorest people in the world.
The UK concept emphasizes that ‘fair access to affordable COVID-19 vaccines, which have been certified as safe and effective, is essential to end the pandemic.’
It will recognize ‘the role of comprehensive vaccination against COVID-19 as a global public health agency to prevent, stop and stop the transmission, to bring the pandemic to an end.’
The draft, obtained by The Associated Press, follows the call by British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to the 15-member Security Council on Wednesday to adopt a resolution calling for a local strike in conflict zones. to deliver COVID-19 vaccines.
Britain says more than 160 million people are at risk of being excluded from coronavirus vaccinations because they live in countries engulfed by conflict and instability.
“Fireworks were used to vaccinate the most vulnerable communities,” Raab said. “There’s no reason why we can not … We’ve already seen polio vaccines delivered to children in Afghanistan, just to take one example.”
At Wednesday’s council meeting, Guterres sharply criticized the “wildly unfair and unfair” distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, saying that ten countries administered 75% of all vaccinations and demanded a global effort to get all people in each country as soon as possible. let vaccinate.
The UN chief said at the high-level council meeting that 130 countries had not yet received a dose of vaccine, declaring that “at this critical moment, the vaccine is tantamount to the greatest moral test before the world community.”
The coronavirus infected more than 109 million people and killed at least 2.4 million people. As manufacturers struggle to boost vaccine production, many countries are complaining that they are being ignored, and even rich countries are facing shortages and domestic complaints.
Guterres’ call for a ceasefire last March to deliver COVID-19 medical supplies initially received support, but the strike was almost always short-lived.
While the speed of vaccine development has been impressive, COVAX has already missed its own goal of initiating coronavirus vaccinations in poor countries, while shots were rolled out in rich countries late last year.
WHO says COVAX needs $ 5 billion by 2021.
The draft resolution calls for the COVID-19 vaccination plans of countries “include those at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 symptoms, including the most vulnerable, including frontline workers, the elderly, refugees, internally displaced persons, the stateless people, migrants, including persons with disabilities, as well as people living in areas under the control of any non-state armed group. ”
The proposed measure calls for increased scientific collaboration on new variants of COVID-19.
It calls on Guterres to report at least every 90 days on all obstacles to the COVID-19 response, including vaccination programs, in countries where conflict and humanitarian emergencies occur.
It is not clear whether the resolution will be accepted.
Britain’s UN ambassador, Barbara Woodward, said on Wednesday that humanitarian organizations and UN agencies needed the full support of the council to carry out their work.
Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, has objected to the council’s focus on equitable access to vaccines, saying it goes beyond its mandate to preserve international peace and security. He indicated that Moscow was not interested in a new resolution.