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EU Explanation of Vote – United Nations 3rd Committee: after adoption of the Resolution on COVID-19 Vaccines

18.11.2021
New York

18 November 2021, New York – European Union Explanation of Vote at the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly Third Committee after adoption of the Resolution on Ensuring equitable, affordable, timely and universal access for all countries to vaccines in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic

Chair,

 

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

 

The Candidate Countries the Republic of North Macedonia*, Montenegro* Serbia* and Albania*, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the EFTA countries Iceland, and Norway, members of the European Economic Area as well as the Republic of Moldova, align themselves with this statement.

 

No one will be safe until everyone is safe. This is why the European Union is fully committed to vaccine equity.

 

The European Union and its Member States, acting together as ‘Team Europe’, are mobilising about €46 billion in support of our partner countries.

 

Our action aims to ensure a fast and equitable access to safe, quality, effective and affordable tests, treatments and vaccines against coronavirus, to strengthen partner countries' health, water and sanitation systems, and to mitigate the immediate social and economic consequences of the crisis.

 

The EU has exported over 1 billion doses and is working to secure 1.8 billion doses of vaccines for 92 low and middle-income countries, through the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator initiative and the COVAX Facility.

 

We have invested €1 billion in an initiative on manufacturing and access to vaccines, medicines and health technologies in Africa. Other regions could be associated in the future.

 

Chair,

 

The resolution before us today goes below the commitments we adopted both in the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council in the past year and a half. We regret that the language on human rights, gender equality, and on the special needs of persons and groups in vulnerable situations was watered down in the final version. We also regret that the text focusses on countries’ access to vaccines, instead of individuals, and that it neglects other important priorities, such as the need to strengthen health systems and services.

 

We appreciate however the efforts of Azerbaijan to reach consensus. International cooperation and solidarity are paramount to combating COVID-19. This is why we did not oppose the resolution. We must however insist that we do not subscribe to some of its elements.

 

We will continue to support all efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Thank you.

* The Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.