NewYork (VNA) – The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed many inequalitiesbetween countries, including the anxious gap in vaccination againstCOVID-19 that could threaten peace-building efforts and developmentachievements, Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Permanent Representative of Vietnam tothe United Nations, has said.

Quy made the remarks on July 27 (Hanoi time) while attending the UN Security Council’s firstconsultation on the implementation of Resolution 2565 which was adopted onFebruary 26 on the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

He emphasised the need to ensure that everyone is vaccinated, has access toCOVID-19 testing and treatment services, and called on countries to providefinancial support and vaccine supplies for the COVAX Facility. 

The Ambassador also highlighted the importance of long-term measures such aspreventing and ending conflicts, boosting economic development, enhancingpeople's livelihoods, providing finance for development and responding toeconomic, climate, and epidemic challenges.

At the meeting, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support OscarFernandez-Taranco and Acting Assistant Secretary-General for HumanitarianAffairs Ramesh Rajasingham delivered reports on the impact of the COVID-19pandemic on the humanitarian and socio-economic situation in conflict zones andefforts by the UN system to support vaccine distribution to these areas.

UNSC members called for increased cooperation among countries as well asinternational organisations and mechanisms to distribute vaccines fairly and atlow prices to countries in crisis. 

They agreed that the global pandemic has caused many serious socio-economicconsequences for countries in conflict, and at the same time increasedpolitical tensions in many places.

The UNSC membersurged the international community to continue to support efforts to cope withthe increasing number of infections and also the indirect consequences of thepandemic in the context that many people are not ready for vaccination.

Since the adoption of Resolution 2565, the vaccination in lower- andmiddle-income countries has been slow. However, with large supplies of thevaccines expected to become available later this year and in early 2022, theUNSC is making timely preparations for medical human resources as well as acoordination mechanism to distribute this vaccine sources most effectively andfairly, through COVAX, a global initiative aimed at working with vaccinemanufacturers to provide countries worldwide equitable access to safe andeffective vaccines, once they are licensed and approved.

It is expected that the COVAX Facility will deliver 2 billion doses of vaccinesworldwide in 2021 and 1.8 billion doses to 92 poorer economies by early 2022.However, as of July 23, the programme has only distributed 136 million doses./.