Pakistan PM says COVID-19 vaccine should be accessible to all

Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for the international fraternity to ensure that the recently developed COVID-19 vaccine is viewed as a “global public good” and is available to all.

He was addressing the 20th annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which is being held virtually due to the pandemic.

Global pharma giant Pfizer and BioNTech announced on Monday the development of a vaccine that can prevent more than 90% of people from getting COVID-19.

Shortly afterwards, the United Nations said that some countries were trying to secure vaccines for their citizens only.

“Isolationist health policies and procurement are in contradiction with international human rights standards,” it said.

The Pakistan premier suggested the creation of an SCO “knowledge bank of best practices to fight COVID-19 second wave”.

He said the global community needs an action plan to allay economic downturn due to the pandemic.

PM Khan urged the G20 to keep fighting common challenges like the climate change, poverty and inequality, and to stop illicit transfer of money from developing counties to offshore accounts.

He urged the SCO to create a youth strategy, which should include partnerships with educational institutions and technology scholarships.