PM Khan urges SCO to demand COVID-19 vaccine be a 'global public good'

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday urged the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to build a knowledge-bank of best practices to fight COVID-19, saying it would guide member states through the second wave of the virus and beyond.
Addressing the 20th meeting of the SCO heads of state, he said it was imperative to adopt common approaches to prevent the spread of the virus, though he lamented that global harmony and multilateralism were undermined by rising geopolitical tensions, unilateralism and isolationism.
"We believe that the SCO fraternity, with its core principles of solidarity and mutual support, would be effective in combating the effects of COVID-19," he added.
Khan noted that the SCO should take a united stand and demand that the COVID-19 vaccine be viewed as a "global public good" to make it affordable and accessible to all. He also called for an SCO strategy and action plan to mitigate the adverse economic impact caused by the pandemic in the short, medium and long-term.
"We should call for more measures by G20 to meet common challenges like the climate change, deteriorating environment, widening inequality within and among nations, poverty, disease, hunger and sustainable development. This should include measures to stop financial outflows from developing countries to off-shore bank accounts in rich countries," he said.
The prime minister maintained that the foreign policy objectives of his country were in harmony with the SCO vision of regional connectivity and economic integration.
"SCO is destined to play a pivotal role in the emerging confluence between the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)," he said. "Pakistan’s geographical location provides it an ideal opportunity to crystallize the benefits accrued from this process. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of BRI, is poised to play a vital part in this regard."
Khan emphasized that SCO member states should build partnership among education institutes, adding that they must also offer "scholarships and exchange program for youth in the scientific field."