Can international communities help nations in need?

Friday, 8 January 2021 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Here is an opportunity for world leaders to share their wealth with poor nations and emerging countries by sending vaccines to become COVID-free

By Deepika Gunasekera

The world today is in dire need of working together as there is a pandemic affecting rich and poor nations alike. Even if an independent nation becomes 100% COVID-19 free it cannot survive if the other countries and nations are not COVID-19 free as the world today is no less than an interconnected global village. Thus, the permanent and long-term solution is to become COVID-free together with all the other nations especially poor nations who cannot afford the vaccine. Going it alone by any one nation will not suffice in the long term.

Currently, six companies have produced a COVID-19 vaccine which have been approved by the World Health Organization for emergency use. However, it is difficult for the poorer emerging nations to purchase due to their excessive cost and hence unaffordable. These populations will continue to be affected by COVID-19.

Asia is home to roughly one billion of the world’s very poor who often have to go to bed hungry. International aid has helped a lot of countries in the world to eradicate poverty, hunger, access to education, maternal and child health, deadly diseases, inadequate shelter, gender equalities and environmental degradation.

In the year 2000, the world leaders agreed on eight goals for the world order better known as Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as mentioned above. According to the UN Secretary General, the MDGs helped to lift more than one billion people out of poverty, to make inroads against hunger, to enable more girls to attend school than ever before and protect our planet.

When the tsunami struck in 2004, the world helped the affected communities. It was the best example in recent history that demonstrated the world’s caring hand. It demonstrates that if we, the world come together as one, we can overcome the current COVID-19 menace. The COVID-19 virus keeps evolving. The vaccine might be the final answer at least to minimise the damage that this deadly virus causes.

Hence, here is an opportunity for world leaders to share their wealth with poor nations and emerging countries by sending vaccines to become COVID-free or at least minimise the damage, and make the world a better place to live again.

A well-coordinated, sufficiently funded recovery plan will give results, and it will go down in history as the biggest humanitarian effort that the world has initiated.

(The writer is a PR Consultant.)