UN discussion calls for legal framework to respond to pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the weak points and vulnerability of the international community as well as loopholes in the global legal systems, which must be addressed so as to increase resilience and enhance capacity to cope with future pandemics and challenges, said Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of Vietnamese mission to the UN.
A COVID-19 patient under treatment in Spain (Photo: AFP/VNA)New York (VNA) – The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the weak points and vulnerability of the international community as well as loopholes in the global legal systems, which must be addressed so as to increase resilience and enhance capacity to cope with future pandemics and challenges, said Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of Vietnamese mission to the UN.
The Vietnamese diplomat made the remarks at an online discussion on the sidelines of the Legal Committee of the 75th UN General Assembly on October 16, which drew the participation of more than 80 UN member states and members of the UN’s International Law Commission (ILC). The discussion, co-organised by the Missions to the UN of Vietnam, Chile, Portugal, Sierra Leone and Turkey, aimed to assess legal aspects related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ambassador Quy laid stress on the necessity to enhance international cooperation mechanisms, with the UN playing the central role and the engagement of international and regional organisations, stakeholders and communities, based on respect for the UN’s charter and basic principles of international laws on equality and national sovereignty.
Several members of the ILC stressed the need to complete the international legal framework to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, with some calling for a document on promoting international cooperation and enhancing the international community’s preparedness and response capacity in global emergencies and challenges.
Nguyen Hong Thao, a Vietnamese member of the ILC, said the UN General Assembly’s Legal Committee and the ILC should study an international legal framework on protecting citizens from global challenges, including diseases.
Other representatives believed that the COVID-19 outbreak has posed a wide range of legal issues that need to be considered. They advocated international collaboration, with the UN at the central position, to ensure that all countries can get equal access to medical equipment, medicine and vaccine./.
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