KUALA LUMPUR – With the growing frequency of global health threats, among them Covid-19, the world must come together as a family and engage in more effective health diplomacy, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
“Our common mission in these unprecedented times calls us to recognise that humankind is one big extended family. We must ensure greater collaboration not just to end the (Covid-19) pandemic, but also in an array of other health-related issues,” he said in his inaugural speech at the 76th United Nations General Assembly in New York yesterday, via a pre-recorded video.
“It is in this spirit that we in Malaysia have very consciously referred to ourselves as ‘Keluarga Malaysia’.”
He said the country is fully committed to managing, overcoming and recovering from the deadly coronavirus.
“We will ensure that Malaysia not only bounces back, but will thrive as the world emerges from the depths of the pandemic.”
Despite unified commitment, with aggressive vaccine roll-outs and the sharing and adoption of best practices, he said, the sad reality is that the world is far from winning the war against the virus.
While most vaccine-producing nations, as well as those with the financial means, have achieved some measure of success, the majority of the global population, mainly people in middle-income and least-developed countries, has yet to be immunised, he said.
However, the focus should not be only on vaccines, as there are other aspects that require attention as well, added Ismail Sabri.
He said public health should be regarded as a global public good rather than the exclusive domain of individual nations.
Given this, Malaysia will play a more prominent role and participate more actively in health diplomacy using an inter-disciplinary approach that involves more stakeholders, he said. – Bernama, September 26, 2021
