76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Statement at the High-Level General Assembly Debate on Universal Vaccination
Delivered by the Foreign Minister, H.E. Ms. Eva-Maria Liimets at the High-Level General Assembly Debate on Universal Vaccination
25 February, New York
Mr. President, excellencies, dear colleagues,
Let me first express my sympathy and solidarity with all the people and nations still suffering from the coronavirus. In March 2020, none of us thought that the virus would stay with us for such a long time.
We have witnessed the greatest health crisis of our times, quickly turning into a vast socio-economic crisis, leaving no country in the world untouched. In this crisis, we have come to acknowledge the interdependence of the world, interlinks between the different sectors and the interplay between the environment, human and animal health. One of the hurdles we are still dealing with is the infodemic, which continues to undermine our joint global response. To overcome the virus and raise the numbers of people protected by vaccination, we need to promote facts and science.
Estonia remains committed to equal and fair distribution of vaccines globally. As a manifestation of our solidarity, we fully support ACT-Accelerator and remain a regular donor to its vaccination pillar – COVAX. Only this way we can enhance access to vaccines where they are most needed, including people in remote or conflict-affected communities and displaced people. Enabling full, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance remains equally crucial for the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines. Our focus must be on these 34 countries around the world where the vaccination coverage is currently still below 10% of their population in order to strive towards the global goal of vaccinating 70% of the countries’ population by mid-2022.
The global health crisis has also reminded us how important early action is in case of emergencies, raising the humanitarian needs to all times high. Estonia has contributed to the Contingency Fund for Emergencies every year ever since the creation of the fund and continues to do so.
Dear Colleagues,
In this regard, I reiterate Estonia’s unwavering support to Secretary- General’s call for global ceasefire. Moreover, strengthening World Health Organisation to enable and empower its leading role in preventing, preparing and responding to future global health emergencies is our shared goal. Therefore, Estonia supports creation of an international agreement on pandemic preparedness and response. It would be an historic opportunity to act as a global community.
To conclude with, overcoming a pandemic takes a coordinated global effort. No one country can defeat COVID alone. It is of utmost importance that, we stand united and assist those who cannot fend for themselves. No one is safe until everyone is safe. We are only as strong as the weakest link in the global health system.
Thank you very much!