PM to join virtual Global Vaccine Summit in UK June 4

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to join the Global Vaccine Summit virtually to be hosted by the UK on June 4 as the countries across the globe want to stop future waves of infection.

The Global Vaccine Summit will be an entirely virtual event amid no hope of respite from the coronavirus pandemic very soon.

"We look forward to the participation of senior representatives of the government of Bangladesh. We have extended an invitation to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who has been a global and national champion of immunisation," British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson told UNB.

The High Commissioner said he is delighted to share that the UK is hosting the virtual Global Vaccine Summit on June 4.

"Effective vaccination is always vital to public health. It will play a key role in helping us to move beyond this unprecedented global pandemic," Dickson said.

The Summit, he said, is an important milestone in securing support to immunise 300 million children and save up to 8 million lives by 2025, strengthening health systems around the world and helping to tackle coronavirus in some of the world's poorest countries.

The host country said this will help stop future waves of infection spreading globally, including coming to the UK.

The UK government and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, are working with partners and have finalised plans for the Summit programme and format, which are being shared with partners in due course.

The UK government will host Gavi's third donor pledging conference on 3-4 June, 2020 to mobilise at least US$ 7.4 billion in additional resources to protect the next generation with vaccines, reduce disease inequality and create a healthier, safer and more prosperous world.

The conference works to put countries' needs at the forefront of discussions.

It will bring together private and public sector global leaders, build long-term sustainability and vaccine supply security to reduce disease inequality and create a safer and more prosperous world.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called on countries to come together in a "truly global effort" to defeat coronavirus.

The UK is already the biggest donor to the global fund to find a coronavirus vaccine.

The International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan earlier announced a funding pledge equivalent to £330 million a year over the next five years to Gavi.

This will help immunise 75 million children in the world's poorest countries.

The UK has so far provided £744 million of UK aid for the global response to coronavirus.

In September last year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina received the prestigious 'Vaccine Hero' award in recognition of Bangladesh's outstanding success in vaccination to immunise children.

Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunisations (GAVI) conferred the award upon the Prime Minister at a ceremony at the Conference Room 1 of the UN Headquarters.

Receiving the award, Sheikh Hasina dedicated it to the people of Bangladesh.

The success of Bangladesh in vaccination programme is now globally acknowledged.

Bangladesh hoped to reach the target of 'vaccines for all' in the country well ahead of 2030.