Vietnam suggests vaccine universalization in COVID-19 response

During the October 5-8 meeting, Nguyen Phuong Tra, deputy head of the Vietnamese Delegation to the UN, underscored the urgent need for vaccine universalization to adapt to the pandemic moving into the new normal and to ensure social security for socio-political stability.

Vietnam attaches importance to cooperation with the United Nations and other international organizations in pandemic response and the implementation of sustainable development goals, said the diplomat.

Tra also voiced Vietnam’s support for measures to promote the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2030), including assisting developing countries with capacity building, technology transfer and financial incentives.

The Economic and Financial Committee (Second Committee) of the UN General Assembly met from October 5-8, examining various pressing issues, including COVID-19 pandemic, climate crisis and SDG implementation.

Addressing the meeting, Vanessa Frazier, Chairwoman of the Committee, emphasized the need to respond to the pandemic and restore the global economy through sustainable development acceleration.

She said that the United Nations should have recommendations for action, strengthen international solidarity, and shape policy directions to help countries escape the pandemic and achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

In their speeches, representatives of many countries highlighted the unequal access to vaccine supply and suggested financial support for post-pandemic recovery. They called for urgent technology transfer cooperation to help poor countries strengthen production capacity and social cohesion. They also called for commitments to finance climate change response, while voicing opposition to policy imposition on developing countries.