(Prensa Latina) The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People’s Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) is currently strengthening cooperation mechanisms to fight the Covid-19 pandemic from unity and solidarity, including setting up a vaccine bank for member nations.
The ALBA-TCP Social Council held a special virtual meeting on Tuesday aimed at coordinating efforts and exchanging good practices related to the strengthening of health systems, and guaranteeing that the bloc’s countries have access to those treatments.
Faced with the challenges imposed on the regional nations due to the pandemic, the integration mechanism determined to create a humanitarian fund destined to establish a bank for vaccines and medicines, an initiative that emerged at the high-level Summit of the multilateral bloc held in December 2020.
The financial pool will pay one million dollars in an initial phase to eastern Caribbean states that are ALBA-TCP members. Those countries will be allowed to conclude negotiations initiated with companies and third countries to purchase anti-Covid-19 vaccines.
In a second stage, the banking institution will provide another million dollars to the vaccine and medicine bank, to guarantee access to medical supplies and diagnostic tests.
Likewise, Venezuela offered its productive capacity to produce vaccines, in addition to activate a shuttle service through airline Conviasa to transport antidotes, treatments, medical supplies and assistance personnel among member countries.
At the end of the meeting, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza called to coordinate the national capacities to achieve the largest multilateral system for the welfare of Latin American and Caribbean nations.
In turn, ALBA-TCP Executive Secretary Sacha Llorenti advocated for strengthening multilateralism in the fight against the pandemic, after warning about the inequity in access to vaccines developed to combat the coronavirus disease.
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