By Ruslan Rehimov
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AA) - Azerbaijan’s president on Thursday reiterated his call for “equal and universal access to vaccines” as the world continues to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
“We launched the initiative in the United Nations Human Rights Council with respect to equal and universal access to vaccines and fair distribution of vaccines,” said Ilham Aliyev, addressing the 8th Global Baku Forum, titled The World after COVID-19, in the Azerbaijani capital Baku.
“We are one of the countries that openly speaks about issues like vaccine nationalism and unfair distribution of vaccines on a global scale,” he added.
While some countries have already moved to giving out third booster shots, others still have a very low rate of vaccination, he noted.
“Therefore, we need to address this issue in order to create equal opportunities,” he added.
According to a statement from the Azerbaijani presidency, the 8th Global Baku Forum brings together top representatives, including former heads of state and government and officials of international and non-governmental groups from more than 40 countries to discuss issues of global importance.
“The forum will feature panel discussions on topics such as ‘New world order after COVID-19’, ‘New world economy’, ‘In a new era: peace, security and human rights’, ‘Combatting climate change and meeting global energy demand’, ‘Healthcare and vaccination’, ‘Promoting food security’, ‘Eastern partnership and its opportunities’, including the situation in the EU, the Balkans, and the South Caucasus,” it added.