the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa says that a catastrophic situation that could have developed in the country is being thwarted through the implementation of COVID-19’s vaccination program.

Speaking at the High-Level Thematic Deliberation on the topic “Galvanizing Momentum for Universal Vaccination” which was held by the president of the UN General Assembly Friday in New York virtually, the President highlighted that there’s a risk of chance that new strains of a virus could develop, especially at a time where there is a global variation in the availability of vaccines.

The President added that Sri Lanka appreciates the generosity of nations who gave the vaccines either directly or through the COVAX program, which has boosted the bulk of vaccinations Sri Lanka bought directly from manufacturers.

The President reminded the state leaders that the best solution to fight the disease is to get everyone vaccinated everywhere.

“I call on all nations to work together to expedite universal vaccination for the benefits of humanity,” the President declared.

The President of the UN General Assembly Mr. Abdulla Shahid and the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres expressing their opinions at the beginning of the debate highlighted the importance of vaccinations and the different ways in which states have responded.

In the first session of the Debate, current problems in vaccine production and distribution, optimizing the quality in absorption capacity, increasing rates of delivery in countries with low coverage as well as ensuring the predictability of supply were discussed and analyzed.

The second phase focused on the identification of new ideas and solutions that can help overcome the current obstacles and move toward universal vaccination.

World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, UN Human Rights High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet, the CEO of GAVI, The Vaccine Alliance The Vaccine Alliance, Dr. Seth Berkley and several world leaders, as well as other representatives participated in the summit.