Venezuela urges strengthening cooperation between Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean in the area of health

The Deputy Minister for the Caribbean of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Carlos Pérez, on behalf of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, participated this Tuesday in the high-level side event “Two Regions, One Future: Financing pandemic prevention, preparation and response to pandemic to strengthen global health security”, as part of the agenda of the 81st session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN).

During his speech, from the headquarters of the multilateral entity in New York, United States, the diplomat stressed that “Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean share challenges, but also experiences and capacities that can help us build more resilient health systems and a more effective preparation for future pandemics.”

In this regard, he recalled that the COVID-19 pandemic “left at least two lessons that we cannot forget: no country can face a global health threat on its own, and no preparation architecture will be truly effective as long as deep inequalities persist in access to vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, technologies and other essential supplies.”

Pérez also pointed out that the double earthquake recorded last June 24 in the country evidenced the need “that health systems must be prepared to respond to emergencies of a different nature”, so the Bolivarian Government, through the Venezuela Renace Plan, works “on everything related to reconstruction to correct vulnerabilities, strengthen capacities and move towards a more resilient recovery.”

“Preparedness must be built on the basis of the realities, priorities and needs of each country. International cooperation, on the other hand, will be more effective when it strengthens national capacities and complements, rather than replaces, the efforts of States, with full respect for their sovereignty,” said the Deputy Minister for the Caribbean.

In this regard, he reiterated the call of the Venezuelan State to cease unilateral coercive measures: “The experience of COVID-19 demonstrated that restrictions on access to medicines, vaccines, medical equipment, technologies, financing and essential supplies have concrete consequences on the capacity of States to protect the health and life of their peoples.”

In his speech, he stressed that from the perspective of Venezuela, “we must move in three directions: first, to ensure sufficient, predictable and accessible funding to strengthen national and regional health systems; second, to democratize access to knowledge and technology, expanding capacities for research, regulation and regional production of drugs, vaccines and diagnostics; and third, to deepen cooperation between Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean in epidemiological surveillance, primary care and human talent training”.