World needs safe, effective vaccines available for all, says UN ECOSOC

UNITED NATIONS, April 20 (Xinhua) -- World leaders were alerted about the deep inequity in access to the COVID-19 vaccines between rich and poor countries and called for immediate efforts to ensure equitable access to vaccines at the UN high-level meeting on vaccine equity, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) said on Tuesday.

In a presidential statement on the key recommendations from the April 16 ECOSOC special ministerial meeting, ECOSOC President Munir Akram underscores that "the expressed commitment to global solidarity and multilateral cooperation must now be translated into concrete actions, which requires political will, particularly from the rich and advanced countries."

"We have to take some decisive steps towards universal vaccination in order to end the pandemic, which is a prerequisite for economic recovery," said Akram at the "A Vaccine for All" meeting. A key message of the meeting was that no one is safe until everyone is safe.

Widespread access to vaccines is starting to become a reality in developed countries, but many months or even years away from access for a majority of the population across the world. Despite the recent endorsement of the Political Declaration on Equitable Global Access to COVID-19 Vaccines, vaccine equity remains a critical issue, with only 0.2 percent of the vaccinations occurring in low-income countries.

Speakers at the high-level meeting expressed deep concerns about "vaccine nationalism." Others highlighted some obstacles that hinder developing countries' access to the vaccine, such as restrictions on exports, intellectual property rights, lack of resources and capacities, said the statement.

Countries with excess stocks were called upon to donate to developing countries. Expanding the production of the vaccine including in developing countries was recognized as part of the solution.

At the meeting, many developing countries called for introducing flexibility under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. There were also clear asks for the private sector to share know-how and intellectual property with qualified manufacturers, particularly in developing countries.

Participants stressed that the ACT Accelerator and COVAX facility created by the World Health Organization and several partners to ensure developing countries' access to the vaccine need to be fully funded.

Africa and other regions are taking steps to advance local vaccine production, building on the success of novel vaccine technologies. Participants noted need to be supported and encouraged.

A clear message from the meeting was also that the response to the pandemic provides an opportunity to strengthen health systems and advance toward universal health coverage. This would help countries be better prepared and become more resilient against future pandemics. It was also underscored that other vaccination and medical conditions must be continued despite the crisis, the statement noted.

ECOSOC, the principal organ to coordinate economic, social, and related work of the 14 UN specialized agencies, functional commissions and five regional commissions, convened a special high-level meeting on "A Vaccine for All" on April 16.

ECOSOC explored ways to ensure equal access to the COVID-19 vaccine, as a global public good. It discussed ways to bridge the financing gap and to maximize the vaccine supply, affordability, and distribution throughout the world.