History will be ‘severe judge’
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday insisted that any nation that develops a Covid-19 vaccine share it universally, warning that history will be a "severe judge" if not.
Morrison made the strongly worded appeal at the United Nations as the United States, a historic ally of Australia, resists global efforts to collaborate on a vaccine.
"When it comes to a vaccine, Australia's view is very clear -- whoever finds the vaccine must share it," Morrison said in a message to the virtual UN General Assembly recorded in front of the iconic Sydney Opera House.
"This is a global responsibility and it's a moral responsibility for a vaccine to be shared far and wide," he said.
"Some might see short-term advantage or even profit, but I assure you, to anyone who may think along those lines -- humanity will have a very long memory and be a very, very severe judge."
Morrison vowed that Australia will share a vaccine if it discovers it and promised support for Covax, the UN initiative that aims to have two billion doses of a vaccine ready for universal distribution by late 2021.
Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday pledged at the United Nations that his country's vaccine production capacity would be made available globally to fight the Covid-19 crisis.
"As the largest vaccine-producing country of the world, I want to give one more assurance to the global community today," Modi said in a pre-recorded speech to the UN General Assembly. "India's vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used to help all humanity in fighting this crisis."
The United States, China and Russia -- which, to wide skepticism, has already unveiled its own vaccine -- have shunned Covax.
President Donald Trump's administration has given notice that the United States will pull out of the World Health Organization, calling it biased toward China, and has refused to promise to share Covid research, fearing theft of intellectual property from US pharmaceutical companies.
"Such 'vaccinationalism' is not only unfair, it is self-defeating. None of us is safe until all of us are safe. Everybody knows that," he told the General Assembly
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday pledged a 30% increase in funding for the World Health Organization while urging reforms to the global health body and calling for a revival of cross-border cooperation to end "ugly rifts".
He was scheduled to present a five-point plan to improve the international response to future pandemics. His plan includes a global network of research hubs, more vaccine manufacturing capacity, and an agreement to reduce export tariffs imposed at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He will commit an initial 71 million pounds to Covax to secure purchase rights on 27 million doses, and 500 million to a separate Covax initiative to help poorer countries access a vaccine.
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