Help all reach vaccination targets, Hasina urges COVAX summit

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday called upon the development partners to increase their contributions and vaccines to COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) for helping all countries reach vaccination targets as some still remain far behind.

"I call upon all stakeholders to work together to help reach vaccination targets in all countries. I also urge the development partners to increase their contributions and vaccines to COVAX AMC," she said.

She made the plea in a video statement at COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) Summit organised by Germany and GAVI.

Hasina reiterated that Covid vaccines should be considered a global public good.

"Unfortunately, there are some countries who still remain far from achieving their vaccination targets. These countries deserve special attention and support from the international community," she said.

She also ensured the world that Bangladesh  is ready to do its part to ensure vaccine equity and committed to working always with GAVI and Covax AMC.

The prime minister said that Covid-19 pandemic has reinforced the need for international cooperation to respond effectively to public health emergencies.

In this connection, she said that the COVAX Facility has offered a global platform for the purpose.

"We must support this platform with necessary resources and expertise to deal with future pandemics," she said.

The PM said that the impact of the pandemic could have been devastating in Bangladesh if the country did not have a strong healthcare system.

"Throughout the pandemic, we were able to keep the infection at tolerable level and now we see a drastic fall in the infection," she said.

So far, the prime minister said that Bangladesh has vaccinated more than 90% of the target population at free of cost.

"Our longstanding partnership with GAVI has been critical in achieving this success," she added.

She also sought continued support from the COVAX AMC mechanism.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, President of Senegal Macky Sall and Chair of Gavi Board Prof José Manuel Barroso delivered statements at the opening session, while Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken, Tunisia's Prime Minister Najla Bouden and UN Secretary General António Guterres also delivered video messages.