A devastating situation that could have emerged in the country was brought under control by successfully implementing the Covid-19 vaccination program, said President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The President was speaking at the High-Level Thematic Debate on ‘Galvanising Momentum for Universal Vaccination’ at the General Assembly Hall, United Nations Headquarters, yesterday, via video link. “The emergence of new variants of concern remains a dangerous possibility while the availability of vaccines remains uneven globally. As I stated in my address to the General Assembly last year, ensuring everyone, everywhere, is vaccinated is the best way out of the pandemic,” he said.
President of the UN General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid and the Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres stressed the importance of vaccination and how different states had acted.
During the first round of the debate, challenges in vaccine production and distribution, optimising quality, improving absorption capacity and delivery rates in low-coverage countries, and ensuring supply predictability were reviewed.
The second round focused on identifying innovations and solutions needed to overcome challenges and work towards universal vaccination.
World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, UN Human Rights High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet, the CEO of GAVI, The Vaccine Alliance, Dr. Seth Berkley and several world leaders and other representatives also spoke. - PMD