UAE stresses on food security and fair distribution of vaccines at IPU meet

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic or other challenges and disasters that could threaten the security and stability of peoples and nations essentially requires the countries of the world to unite as one family in which differences and separations, whatever their nature or severity, vanish, stated Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the Federal National Council (FNC).

Solidarity and cooperation among nations is an inevitable choice and a strategic approach in facing all global challenges at all levels, environmental, health, social, economic, educational and others, Ghobash said in a statement to the 142nd Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly, held online for the first time.

He explained that it is also necessary in the post-COVID-19 world to focus on building national and international systems for "food security,” to help countries and peoples, especially the poor ones, to face any sudden challenges.

He said that the world is entering the stage of building prevention and community immunity against COVID-19, stressing that there is a basic responsibility that rests with parliaments and the IPU, which is to work with governments and international organisations to ensure the provision of vaccines and their fair delivery to all peoples of the world.

The UAE FNC speaker highlighted the pivotal role of the UAE towards the countries of the region and the world in making hope.

The UAE has presented many global initiatives out of its belief in strengthening international cooperation to combat the spread of the pandemic and limit its negative effects on the countries of the world, by securing aid to countries that have been severely affected by this crisis in cooperation with the World Health Organisation, where it supported 128 countries around the world with vaccines, medicines, medical supplies and equipment, and contributed more than 1,742 tons of urgent aid, and supported more than 1.7 million medical professionals around the world.

He affirmed that the UAE supports and participates in every collective international move to address the pandemic, including support for international efforts to accelerate the vaccination process and the fair distribution of the vaccine, as it launched the "Hope Coalition" initiative to facilitate the distribution of six billion doses around the world, increasing this capacity to 18 billion by the end of 2021, as the leadership demonstrates the importance of taking responsibility globally.

More than 700 parliamentarians and experts from 135 countries are gathering in Geneva to debate issues concerning democracy and human rights, regional and international conflicts and crises, combating terrorism and extremism, sustainable development goals and migration, as well as discussing parliamentary strategies to strengthen peace and security against threats and conflicts resulting from climate-related disasters and their consequences.

Under the theme of "Overcoming the Pandemic Today and Building a Better Tomorrow: The Role of Parliaments,” MPs identified what parliamentary strategies were necessary to save lives by speeding up the equitable distribution of vaccinations and to rebuild more sustainable and inclusive economies.

Ghobash added that building a post-COVID-19 world requires establishing new working relations between international and regional parliamentary organisations on the one hand and intergovernmental and regional organisation on the other.

At the forefront of this is the strengthening of the strategic partnership between the IPU and the United Nations, which leads to bolstering the effectiveness of the work and the credibility of the two organisations in dealing positively with all issues that hinder the sustainable development of nations, or those that exacerbate the problems of unemployment and poverty and those that increase the spread and severity of pandemics such as COVID-19.

Ghobash stressed that the post-COVID-19 world requires international and regional parliamentary organisations and national parliaments to assume their responsibilities in joining forces with governments and international organisations to allocate larger budgets for education, health and social protection systems and encourage investment in infrastructure and the knowledge and technology economy.