Making it safe and healthy through 2020 should be considered as an achievement, the whole generation has been through something like never before. The damages of the Corona Virus and subsequent lockdowns all over the world don’t seem to heal any time soon. Collapsed health care, drowning economies, jobless people, shutting down businesses and community outspread of the virus have created unparalleled obstacles for people all over the world. However, the hope of a better living condition in 2021 also seems hazed.
The United Nations have warned that 2021 could be the possible year of ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ creating a denser void between different countries and people of various sections. The rush to takeover major stocks of vaccines for their people, rich countries may create a setback for economically weaker countries. We would possibly witness some wicked gamble over the stampede of the vaccine.
The subsequent shut down of businesses and mass loss of jobs has already erupted as a black hole for the economically weaker section of the society extending the economical imbalance furthermore.
The steps taken by countries to combat the spread of COVID-19 such as lockdowns and restricted movement have already increased the cases of people in need of humanitarian assistance to 40 per cent more.
In a special meeting over COVID-19, World Food Programme (WFP) chief David Beasley and World Health Organization (WHO) head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus discussed about the impact of Corona Virus which was emerged from China last year affecting more than 70 million people around the World.
“2021 is literally going to be catastrophic based on what we’re seeing at this stage of the game,” said Beasley, adding that for a dozen countries, famine is “knocking on the door.”
He said 2021 was likely to be “the worst humanitarian crisis year since the beginning of the United Nations” 75 years ago and “we’re not going to be able to fund everything … so we have to prioritize, as I say, the icebergs in front of the Titanic.”
In a step to minimize the threat of such a humanitarian crisis, the United Nations Organisation is putting efforts by calling rich countries to volunteer the development of vaccines and recovery of developing countries from pandemic effects. Top UN Officials have called for COVID-19 vaccines to be available for everyone. UN has appealed for $35 billion in aid funding.
Appealing for an immediate injection of $4.3 billion into the world vaccine-sharing program, Tedros told the General Assembly, “We simply cannot accept a world in which the poor and marginalized are trampled by the rich and powerful in the stampede for vaccines. This is a global crisis and the solutions must be shared equitably as global public goods.”
Countries like Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Syria, and many more facing a humanitarian crisis for a long time, the pandemic has only extended their distance from the first-world privileges. With countries left with the collapse of nearly every sector, the only way to a better world is combined and self-less effort.
As vaccines from different countries are successfully onboard for mass vaccination and many on their final trials, rich countries need to back the developing and under-developing countries with sufficient stocks of vaccines and pandemic recovery finances. UN should come strongly to make sure there is no discrimination over the shares vaccines between the countries to put an end to this extended pandemic.
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