Terming Covid -19 vaccine as ‘global public good’ Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reminded the international community that the fates of people across the globe are intertwined amid the pandemic and called the world leaders to ensure that any proven vaccine is made available to all countries at the same time. Given the technical knowledge and intellectual property, Bangladesh has the potential to produce this vaccine in large quantities, she said.
Addressing the 75th session of the UN General Assembly on Saturday (September 27), Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made the remarks to world leaders.
The Prime Minister said our efforts to eradicate the Corona pandemic and achieve Agenda-2030 must go hand in hand. The presentation of the second report of Bangladesh proves that we are well on our way to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
"Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are going through one of the most difficult times in human history," she said. For the first time in the history of the United Nations, the General Assembly is being held digitally in the absence of the Heads of State and Government of the member countries at its headquarters in New York. This meeting room of the United Nations is very emotional for me. Standing in this room in 1974, my father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman gave his first speech in his mother tongue Bengali as the head of government of a newly independent country. I have also appeared in this room 17 times before and called for world peace and friendship. This is my 17th speech at the UN General Assembly as Head of Government.
The Prime Minister said the existing global challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic have become more apparent. This pandemic has forced us to realize that there is no alternative to multilateralism in overcoming this crisis. On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, we have deep faith in the multilateralism enshrined in the United Nations Charter. We are determined to uphold the ideals of multilateralism in the face of many adversities at the national level.
At the same time, we are working tirelessly to build the golden Bangladesh of our nation's father's dream. A golden Bangladesh free from poverty and exploitation will be based on democratic values - where the human rights of all will be ensured. This is our firm commitment to the nation and the world on the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation.
Covid-19 has proved that the destiny of all of us is tied to the same formula. None of us are safe until we can ensure everyone's safety. This virus put us under house arrest. As a result, the health system as well as economic activities has been severely disrupted. In Bangladesh, it was possible to achieve GDP growth at the rate of 7.2 percent in the fiscal year 2018-19. But Covid-19 has hampered our progress.
However, in Bangladesh, we started from the very beginning with equal importance in both life and livelihood. We have provided various incentives for the trade and production of the country so that it does not face massive losses. We have greatly expanded the scope of social security programs.
Highlighting various steps taken by the government to tackle corona, the Prime Minister said, "We have given utmost importance to food production during corona." At the same time all kinds of measures have been taken to ensure nutrition. We have taken special measures to keep the industrial factories of the country active and to market the agricultural and industrial products properly. As a result, Bangladesh's health and economy are still relatively good.
"Despite the stagnation in global production due to Covid-19, we have achieved GDP growth of 5.24 per cent," she said. We are hopeful that the GDP growth rate will reach 7 percent in the next financial year.