Statement by India under Agenda Item 2: ID on the oral update of the High Commissioner on the central role of the State in responding to Pandemics and other health emergencies, and the socioeconomic consequences thereof at the 50th Session of HRC (13 June–8 July 2022) delivered by Ms. Seema Pujani, First Secretary (Geneva, 13 June 2022)
Mr. President,
We thank the High Commissioner for her oral update.
In the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to spread across the world with outbreaks of different virus variants. Its unprecedented socio-economic impact has been borne disproportionately by the most vulnerable segments of our societies, especially in the developing and least developed countries that were constrained by the fiscal space at their disposal in responding to the pandemic. The global recovery from the pandemic also remains starkly uneven.
India has been strongly advocating for the principle of equity in the WHO and also proposed, along with South Africa, a TRIPS waiver at the WTO for COVID vaccines, diagnostics and medicines. We have shared medicines, PPE, test kits, other medical and health products and offered training programmes etc. as part of the global fight against COVID-19. Over 229 million doses of vaccines have been supplied to 98 countries and 2 UN entities in the form of grant, through commercial export or the COVAX facility since January 2021. Under the Quad Vaccine Partnership, production is rapidly progressing in India with the aim to deliver at least 1 billion doses by the end of 2022.
Prime Minister Modi in several interventions, including his address to the UN General Assembly, NAM, G-20 and SAARC has stressed that the pandemic has shown us the limitations of the existing international system. He has put forward our vision of ‘One Earth - One Health’ before the world and called for global unity, leadership, and solidarity to prevent future pandemics.
As part of its abiding commitment to the global promotion and protection of human rights, India will continue to do its bit.
I thank you.
