Criticizing the UN’s belated response to the devastating coronavirus pandemic, Turkey’s president said on Monday that “the UN failed once again.”
“TURKEY IS PLANNING TO MAKE EIGHT VACCINATION PROGRAMS AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC USE BY 2021”
“The United Nations, which acknowledged the existence of the [coronavirus] pandemic weeks later, did not show any presence in terms of taking the necessary measures to combat the pandemic or meeting the needs,” Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara, recounting the early days of the outbreak.
“The UN, which failed at every front from Syria to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, to developments in volatile regions such as Africa and South America, has failed once again during the pandemic,” he added.
On the eve of the UN’s 75th meeting, the Turkish president went on to say: “At a time when Turkey alone is sending medical supplies to 146 countries, the ineffectiveness of the UN was established once more.” He underlined that since the start of the pandemic, Turkey has been among the countries that were cited globally in terms of both measures taken and services provided to patients.
Recalling eight vaccination development programs for coronavirus, he said Turkey is planning to make these available for public use by the the first few months of next year.
The world’s largest annual diplomatic event, the UN General Assembly (UNGA), will take place this year in an unprecedented fashion as world leaders for the first time will gather virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Although the virus may distract attention from other topics on the agenda, world leaders and representatives are expected to address climate change, racism, intolerance, inequality, poverty, hunger, and armed conflict.