Bangladesh’s feisty Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina has stood up for global vaccine equity to counter the second Covid wave that has hit the rising South Asian nation with a vengeance.
"The socio-economic impacts of the pandemic are massive and are still unfolding. It is, therefore, extremely important to strengthen the global and regional partnerships through coordinated efforts to address these challenges," Sheikh Hasina told a global audience assembled at the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) on Tuesday.
A survey titled "PPRC-BIGD Rapid Response Research Phase III" also showed that one year after the Covid-19 breakout, household savings have depleted by nearly a quarter in rural areas, while debt burden has doubled.
Flagging the jabs -for-all slogan, the Bangladesh Prime Minister demanded that coronavirus vaccines should become a UN backed public goods to protect the entire humanity and not people in affluent countries alone. "All nations need to work together to make the UN and other international organisations effective so that everyone's requirement of vaccines and medical requirements are met, " Dhaka Tribune quoted her as saying.
Sheikh Hasina pointed out that all nations need to work together to make the UN and other international organisations effective “so that everyone's requirement of vaccines and medical requirement are met “.
Fearing acute vaccination shortages from India, which was combating a fierce second wave of Covid-19, Bangladesh has begun hunting for other sources, including China.
But that option may also not be available soon as Beijing has informed Dhaka that vaccine exports could commence only after December, Bangladesh’s foreign minister AK Abdul Momen was quoted as saying. Bangladesh is also actively pursuing the possible option of manufacturing Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine inside the country, according to local media reports.
One of the beneficiaries of globalisation which has climbed out of the Least Developed Country (LDC) status, Bangladesh has invested in high-tech parks, broadband and satellite connectivity, and developing human capital that was ready for innovation, not just for imitation, the Prime Minister said.
She pointed out that her county was at the forefront of combating Climate change, a template for participation in the current global mainstream.
"Despite our resource scarcity, we've established a Climate Change Trust Fund of about $450 million from our own resources," the prime minister observed.
The “progressive” woman Prime Minister pointed out that two years ago, the Bangladeshi parliament had adopted a motion declaring "Planetary Emergency" to highlight and deal with the climate crisis.
Bangladesh was now planting 30 million trees across the country, as part of celebrations of the birth centenary of Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, she said,
"We've also adopted the 'Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan' which will help mobilize resources for a better and secured future," said the Prime Minister.
Bangladesh is presiding over the Climate Vulnerable Forum, apart from paying host to the South Asian Regional Office of Global Centre for Adaptation.
