President Luis Abinader lamented the process of distributing coronavirus vaccines, where the richest countries have unfairly monopolized them by denying access to lower-income countries, contradicting any notion of human solidarity that is increasing this time.
In his speech at the XXVII Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State or Government, Abinader made it clear that they are not advocating for humanitarian aid, not a charity fund, but a model of production and redistribution.
“Let it be clear. We are not advocating humanitarian aid or charity funds. What we are proposing is an alliance for development that will enable us as a region to move towards a new productive and redistributive model,” he said.
He said the sense of vulnerability they have discovered with the coronavirus clarifies the plant’s responsibility and prompts governments to reverse the trajectory they have taken so far.
But despite the need for a renewed multilateral vision, the process of distribution of vaccines against Covid-19 is ongoing We have seen the richest countries take hoarding measures that deplorably and unfairly deny low- and middle-income countries access to these countries, contrary to any notion of human solidarity, ”said the Dominican president..
Abinader referred to ECLAC’s statement that in order to face the health crisis caused by the coronavirus, political and social pacts are needed to make social protection and health universal.
Here’s a full speech:
Speech by President Abinader to the Ibero-American Summit
Dear friends,
Today, our region and the world are facing major challenges that can only be addressed through a renewed multilateralism. Indeed, in the face of the pandemic, the climatic emergency, the technological transformation and the need to formulate a new paradigm for the welfare state, it is indeed necessary to strengthen the unity and cooperation between the Ibero-American peoples.
The Dominican government, like those of other countries, has made enormous efforts to mitigate the effects of this health and economic crisis by allocating large funds to the most affected parts of the population so that they are not left unprotected by loss of income. But in addition, we have deployed health resources to halt the increase in infection and have successfully started the vaccination process.
Before the pandemic, however, a regional crisis in Latin America was evident in the paralysis of integration mechanisms and in the disintegration that our countries showed in multilateral fora.
A certain economic stagnation was also noted during this period, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean, which recorded the lowest growth since the 1950s in the 2014-2019 period.
Ladies and gentlemen, these are very worrying data that compel us to redouble our efforts for regional integration and strengthening multilateralism.
To achieve this, there is an urgent need to reorient the priorities of public spending and the way we run our societies. It is necessary to evolve towards a development model that strives for a fairer distribution of the great wealth that humanity can generate today, the protection of human rights and the environment, and the updating of democratic political institutions to new technologies.
This new paradigm should aim at the protection of democracy and human rights, especially in the light of the risks of inequality and crises, which, like the current one, place great emphasis on democratic governance.
As ECLAC noted, “To face the health crisis will require political and social pacts concluded with the participation of a wide variety of actors, which will make it possible to make social protection and health universal …” .
The universality of the disease and crisis have strengthened interconnectedness in the world. Diversity, justice and solidarity are principles that penetrate with greater intensity into a more complex, diverse and global social fabric.
The sense of vulnerability that we suddenly discover as a result of the virus makes our responsibility to the planet clearer, and it should prompt us to make decisions to reverse the trajectory we have taken so far.
But despite the need for a renewed multilateral vision, in distributing vaccines against Covid-19, we have found that the richest countries have taken hoarding measures that deplorably and unfairly deny access to these vaccines against Covid-19. and middle-income countries, contrary to any idea of human solidarity.
Let it be clear. We do not advocate for humanitarian aid or charity funds. What we propose is an alliance for development that will enable us as a region to move towards a new productive and redistributive model.
I cannot end this speech without referring to the tourism industry, which has been a motor of economic growth for us and other countries for decades. This important sector has been hit hard by the health crisis, and beyond this situation, the effects of climate change are already being felt in the Caribbean as degradation of marine ecosystems and rising sea levels are destroying our coasts.
Friends, the world has reached a turning point, which forces us to think about a different development model: fair, green and sustainable. We will succeed together or fail separately, the decision is ours alone. Thank you.