UNGA president to hold high-level event on universal vaccination in 2022

UNITED NATIONS - President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Abdulla Shahid said Wednesday that he would convene a high-level event on universal vaccination next year.

"As president of the UN General Assembly, I will host a high-level event Towards Universal Vaccination: From Hope to Action," Shahid told the Global COVID-19 Summit hosted by US President Joe Biden.

While Shahid didn't reveal when the event will take place in his short remarks at the summit, his spokesperson Monica Grayley said in her email that it is slated for 2022.

"We will work to shore up political support for COVAX and the multilateral mechanisms for vaccine supply and distribution," the UNGA president said. "We will identify collective actions to quickly close the gap and ensure universal access to vaccines."

Noting that the event will address the challenges in supply and distribution, Shahid said, "I trust and hope that we can work together to make this a reality in leaving no one behind."

"I firmly believe that collectively we can work together towards universal vaccination and reach global vaccination goals. These vaccines promise our single greatest defense against COVID-19, our greatest opportunity to reopen the world, and our greatest asset in the race against variants," he said.