‘Keep all the doors open to get vaccines’

Proper access to Covid-19 vaccines and their equal global distribution have to be ensured, demanded speakers at a programme on Monday.

They also called for keeping all the doors open to get Covid-19 vaccines and not creating a monopoly.

"It is important to keep in mind when we talk about vaccines as a global public good. There is also a need to recognise that a scarce global public good has to be properly and carefully managed everywhere," Mia Seppo, United Nations resident coordinator in Bangladesh, told the online launching ceremony of the book "Covid-19: the other side of living through the pandemic".

The Centre for Genocide Studies (CGS) at the University of Dhaka organised the programme. The book contains articles from 17 writers of 10 countries and was edited by CGS Director Professor Imtiaz Ahmed.

Imtiaz, professor of international relations at the University of Dhaka, said, "Friendship towards all; malice towards none – this is our foreign policy. We want to maintain that in case of vaccines as well."

He said Bangladesh has good relations with some countries more than others but that should not in any way limit it from getting vaccines "because this is a different kind of thing you are asking for".

"This is not a Pajero or a supersonic plane or some other instruments that you are asking for. This is vaccine, which is required to save lives," the professor added. 

Talking about obeying safety and lockdown rules, Rounaq Jahan, distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue, said, "It is difficult for people to voluntarily comply with these guidelines. People become compliant when they have trust in the government."

Mia also spoke about inequalities, noting that many people struggled to manage livelihoods during last year's lockdown.

She said middle-income countries had seen sharp increases in inequalities.

"Bangladesh saw a sharp increase in inequalities in terms of income due to the lockdown last year."

The United Nations official also said civil servants or employees in the formal sector receive monthly salaries.

"But people who are making a living in the informal sector are struggling. Small businesses never fully recovered from the impacts of the previous lockdown."

Shahriar Alam, state minister for foreign affairs, said, "We are doing our best with limited resources."