Bangladesh wants exchange of technology and knowledge for vaccine production

Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen called for the immediate exchange of production technology and knowledge of Covid-19 vaccine through a global management. He hoped that this would enable drug-producing countries like Bangladesh to produce and distribute vaccines on a large scale. The minister made the remarks while addressing a function titled 'Galvanizing Momentum for Universal Vaccination' at the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations in New York on Friday. The event was attended by heads of state and government of different countries, Secretary General of the United Nations, Director General of the World Health Organization and Ministers and senior political leaders of UN member countries. Referring to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's call for considering the Covid vaccine as a 'universal world asset', the minister said the developed countries and the producers must ensure global supply of the Covid-19 vaccine through the Covax facility on an equal footing. He further said that in order to meet the global demand for vaccines, its production needs to be further enhanced and decentralized. In addition, the world community must unite against the misinformation and nationalization of vaccines. The foreign minister said that by mid-February 2022, more than 101 million people in Bangladesh had received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. The Government has planned to soon vaccinate at least 80 percent (about 132 million) of the population to effectively combat the epidemic. The minister added that the world community must realize that no one is safe unless everyone is safe. He called on the international community to unite to ensure universal vaccination and save lives and the world economy. On the same day, a bilateral meeting between the Foreign Minister and the Minister of International Development of Canada was held at the Indonesia Lounge at the UN Headquarters. The Foreign Minister briefed Canadian Minister Harjeet Sajjan on the ongoing situation of the Rohingya problem and hoped for Canada's cooperation in the repatriation of Rohingyas. The gentleman assured Canada's support for the repatriation of Rohingya and praised Bangladesh's generosity in providing shelter and humanitarian assistance to the displaced Rohingya people. The Foreign Minister also drew the attention of the Government of Canada to the repatriation of Nur Chowdhury, the fugitive murderer of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation in Canada.