President Moon: "COVID-19 Vaccines Are a Global Public Good... Must Be Distributed Equitably Worldwide"

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sunhee] President Moon Jae-in said on the 18th regarding the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation, "We must cooperate beyond borders to develop vaccines and treatments," adding, "The developed vaccines and treatments should be distributed equitably worldwide as public goods for humanity."

President Moon made these remarks at the World Health Assembly (WHA) held via video conference that afternoon, stating, "Korea fully supports the World Health Organization (WHO)'s efforts to develop vaccines and treatments." He continued, "Korea participates as a donor country in the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, the Global Fund, the International Drug Purchase Facility, and the International Vaccine Institute, and plans to contribute to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations starting this year." The WHA is WHO's highest decision-making body, and this is the first time a sitting Korean president has delivered a keynote speech there.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

As COVID-19 has become a pandemic crossing continents, countries worldwide are participating in vaccine development efforts through joint fundraising. However, there are criticisms that the United States, the world's strongest country and one of the hardest-hit by COVID-19, is not participating and is promoting "America First" nationalism.

As a leader of a country leading in quarantine efforts, President Moon appealed to the international community to break away from such "every man for himself, nation-centered" attitudes and to walk the path of "solidarity and cooperation" under the theme of "freedom for all."

President Moon said, "(Our citizens) did not regard neighbors as dangerous sources of virus transmission to be blocked and isolated but protected the safety of 'neighbors' first for the safety of 'oneself.'" He added, "The scope of 'neighbors' has expanded beyond borders. While continuing exchanges without closing borders, we shared quarantine supplies such as diagnostic kits and masks as much as circumstances allowed." Furthermore, he said, "Thanks to the high civic consciousness of the people who practiced the spirit of 'freedom for all' and became the main agents of quarantine, the three principles of 'openness, transparency, and democracy' could exert their power."

He emphasized, "The power to share information and cooperate together is a uniquely human strength that viruses do not possess," and added, "COVID-19 threatens even the spirit of freedom, a common value of humanity, but 'solidarity and cooperation' based on the spirit of freedom is the strongest weapon to win the war against COVID-19."

President Moon then made three proposals to the international community. First, he stressed, "We must expand humanitarian aid to health-vulnerable countries and share quarantine experiences," adding, "We must cooperate so that not a single person is left behind until everyone is free from COVID-19." He also revealed that Korea plans to provide humanitarian aid worth 100 million dollars this year.

He then emphasized cooperation in vaccine development and equitable distribution. He said, "We must quickly revise and enforce relevant regulations, including the WHO International Health Regulations," and added, "Efforts are needed to disclose infectious disease-related information more transparently between countries and jointly establish early warning systems and cooperation frameworks." He expressed hope that "the cooperation measures discussed at the G20 Summit and the ASEAN+3 Summit will become more concrete."

President Moon reiterated, "In the face of crisis, humanity must choose 'solidarity and cooperation,' not every man for himself," and "The world must unite with mutual trust and inclusion, especially in times of crisis." He concluded his speech by saying, "If the international community firmly shares the value of 'freedom for all,' I believe we can accelerate overcoming the current crisis and greatly nurture hope for the post-COVID era."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.