‘End vaccine nationalism’
FIJIAN PM TELLS UNGA THAT GLOBAL COMMUNITY SHOULD ACCELERATE VACCINATIONS EVERYWHERE
LIKE any other country around the world, Fiji’s experience during the current COVID-19 pandemic was different but to protect its citizens from the deadly virus, the only way out was getting every Fijian vaccinated.
As leaders from around the world convene virtually at the 76th United Nations General Assembly held in New York recently, while delivering the Fiji’s national statement virtually Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said Fiji’s experience shows how an equitable recovery can begin with getting Fijians vaccinated fast.
“After one full year with zero local COVID-19 cases, the insidious Delta variant crept into our country and sparked a deadly second outbreak. After a slow start while we scrambled to acquire enough vaccines, we are winning the battle.”
“Over 98 per cent of adults across our 110 populated islands have one jab of the vaccine, and more than 67 per cent are fullyvaccinated. We thank India, Australia, New Zealand and the United States for helping us secure the doses we needed.”
“Our mission now is to recover more than 100,000 jobs lost to the pandemic and to recoup a 50 per cent loss in Government revenues. Soon, Fiji will reopen to tourism and to regional and international business. We will look to accelerate investment trends, like increased digitisation, that will modernise our economy and help it recover.”
Prime Minister Bainimarama highlighted that Fiji’s victory over the virus will be shortlived unless the global community can accelerate vaccinations everywhere.
“It is appalling that wealthier countries are already considering third doses or boosters for their citizens while millions of people – including frontline healthcare workers - in the developing world cannot access a single dose. Globally, thousands of lives are still being lost every day to the virus. The majority represent our collective failure to make vaccines available to developing countries,” he said.
“Vaccine nationalism must end. The G7, G20, and multilateral financial institutions have failed to stop it. Only the UN can fill this void of leadership.”
“I join other leaders in calling on the UN to convene an urgent special meeting of Leaders to agree to a time bound, costed, and detailed plan for the full vaccination of developing countries.”
Prime Minister Bainimarama said with the socio-economic challenge affecting countries around the world during this pandemic, vaccine inequity appears to be a symptom of much larger injustice, “one that is inherent to the international economic system”.