Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has urged countries to start sharing surplus doses of vaccines to address vaccine inequity.

He said this in his statement, delivered at the virtual Covid-19 Global Action Plan Foreign Ministerial Meeting co-hosted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Hayashi Yoshimasa and the Secretary of State of the United States of America Antony Blinken, on Wednesday.

As such, the Maldivian foreign minister shed light on the disproportionate effects of the pandemic specifically on vulnerable economies.

Further, he went on to praise the commitment of developed countries including the G7 leaders who have shared over 1.17 billion doses of vaccines to vulnerable economies.

Stressing on the significance of narrowing the financial gap in the World Health Organization (WHO)-led ACT-Accelerator and its COVAX Facility which plays a central role in addressing the current gross inequity in access to essential vaccines, testing, and treatments, the Maldivian foreign minister reiterated the significance of relying on an “inclusive” and “effective” financing mechanism such as the WHO-proposed Financial Intermediary Fund, to better prepare for future pandemic threats.

The virtual Covid-19 GAP Foreign Ministerial Meeting revolved around maintaining and strengthening the political will to enhance international coordination to end the acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic and reinforce readiness for future pandemic threats.