Concerns Over Vaccine Gap... UN Urges Vaccine Access for Refugees and Migrants

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) has urged world leaders to ensure that refugees and forcibly displaced persons worldwide can also access COVID-19 vaccines.

According to the UK Guardian on the 1st (local time), Antonio Vitorino, IOM Director General, stated in a joint declaration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that "refugees and forcibly displaced persons are often excluded from access to healthcare," emphasizing that "health services, including COVID-19 vaccines, must not be provided in a discriminatory manner to be truly effective."

He added, "During this pandemic, we are ready to support governments worldwide in providing healthcare services to everyone through universal health coverage."

This statement comes amid the growing gap between developed countries that have vaccinated their populations and developing countries that have yet to secure vaccines. In Middle Eastern regions such as Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, where millions of refugees reside in camps, there are increasing concerns that vaccination efforts may fail due to inadequate infrastructure for vaccine distribution.

In particular, conflicts over limited vaccine supplies are intensifying in war-torn areas, and there are also concerns that corrupt individuals may seize vaccines during the distribution process, resulting in fewer doses actually reaching refugees. In fact, in Syria, which is in the midst of a civil war, areas outside the control of the Bashar al-Assad regime have frequently experienced shortages of essential supplies.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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