The State of Qatar Affirms its Commitment to Fair Production and Supply of COVID-19 Vaccines
New York / Information Office / April 17
The State of Qatar affirmed its moral and humanitarian commitment to ensure fair production and supply of COVID-19 vaccines all over the world, warning that the big gap in vaccine availability could derail the efforts made to achieve the sustainable development goals by 2030.
This came in the statement read by HE the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani, during the United Nations Economic and Social Council session "A Vaccine for All."
Her Excellency highlighted that the State of Qatar is ranked ninth globally in terms the ratio of people who were vaccinated compared to the total population, through the national vaccine program that includes every eligible person who lives in Qatar whether citizen or resident. Her Excellency said that the State of Qatar understands that recovering from the pandemic cannot be achieved unless everyone recovers in a framework of international cooperation and solidarity in the face of the global health crisis.
She added that the State of Qatar allocated $20 million to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, in addition to Qatar Fund for Development's signing of a core contribution agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO) for $10 million to support WHOs Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13).
She expressed her pride at the State of Qatar's humanitarian initiative, launched a few days ago, to provide $100 million worth of COVID-19 vaccines to the most vulnerable segments. The initiative was launched cooperation with Qatar Red Crescent (QRCS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in order to improve access to tools that will combat the Coronavirus in countries most in need.
Her Excellency also highlighted the prominent role Qatar Airways plays, with the Qatar Airways Cargo signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UNICEF. She noted that the initiative aims to support UNICEF's humanitarian airfreight initiative, under which Qatar Airways will prioritize the transportation of vaccines, medicine, and medical equipment in a safe way using its international network, to ensure the availability of vaccines everywhere, in addition to supporting COVAX for vaccine access on an international scale.
Her Excellency stressed on the importance of adhering to the Political Declaration on Equitable Global Access to COVID-19 Vaccines, which 181 countries joined with the State of Qatar playing a leading role in its preparation, particularly when it comes to taking the necessary measures to ensure all countries gain access to vaccines in a comprehensive, fair, and timely manner.
In conclusion, Her Excellency reiterated the State of Qatar's commitment to its moral and humanitarian role of providing support to all international efforts aiming to guarantee a fair production and supply of vaccines all over the world.