The world must overcome the extraordinary divisions created by coronavirus and unite to defeat the pandemic, the Prime Minister will tell the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) today, APA reports citing British Embassy to Azerbaijan.
In his virtual address to the Assembly, Boris Johnson will announce a series of new measures to help lead the world out of the crisis and set out an ambitious five-point plan to prevent future pandemics in UNGA.
The plan, developed in consultation with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The Wellcome Trust, starts with a proposal to develop a worldwide network of ‘zoonotic hubs’ to identify dangerous pathogens before they leap from animals to humans, as COVID-19 is believed to have done.
Other measures include boosting manufacturing capacity for treatments and vaccines, improving pandemic early warning systems, agreeing global protocols for health crises and removing trade barriers.
The Prime Minister will also announce significant new investment in COVAX, the international COVID-19 vaccines procurement pool. The UK will contribute an initial £71 million to secure purchase rights for up to 27 million vaccine doses for the UK population. This complements other initiatives by the Government to procure any coronavirus vaccine that proves to be safe and effective.
To ensure we are match-fit for other global health crises, the Prime Minister will also announce the UK’s pledge of £340 million over the next four years to the World Health Organization – an increase of 30 per cent from the previous four-year period, making Britain one of the largest donors.
In addition to addressing global health issues at UNGA, the Prime Minister is urging international action on climate change and biodiversity. He will address two UNGA events on biodiversity next week.
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