ALBA-TCP Health Social Council’s meeting opened under theme “United against COVID-19”

Under the premise of guaranteeing massive, free access to the vaccine against COVID-19, the Executive Secretary of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of our America-People’s Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP), Sacha Llorenti Soliz, opened on Tuesday the ALBA-TCP Health Social Council’s special meeting, themed “United against COVID-19.”

In the meeting held via video conference, the ALBA-TCP member countries’ ministers and delegates moved forward with the 2021 Post-pandemic Working Plan, agreed at the 18th ALBA-TCP Summit of Heads of State and Government held on December 14, 2020.

In his opening statement, the ALBA-TCP executive secretary denounced that 95% of all vaccines are dominated by the world’s 10 wealthiest countries, and recalled the words of the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), who said that “the world is on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure and the price of this failure will be paid with lives and livelihoods in the world’s poorest countries.”

In that same vein, Llorenti criticized the shameless commercialization of vaccines that has increased their value, meaning that the poorest countries won’t be able to access vaccines.

Likewise, he warned that the same countries hoarding the vaccines are the same ones that permanently attack and threaten the WHO and other multilateral spaces.

Venezuela and Cuba, models of solidarity in the world

In the meeting, the ALBA-TCP executive secretary remarked that “in the midst of such a discouraging panorama, hopes are growing,” in reference to Cuba’s health brigades and Venezuela’s recent shipment of oxygen supply to the city of Manaus, in Brazil.

“So far this year, Venezuela has set a very clear example of how relations among peoples should be by sending oxygen and doctors to the city of Manaus in Brazil. These are the examples that humanity needs to follow,” said Llorenti.

Regarding the ALBA-TCP’s role, Llorenti said that it must set an example of how international relations should be developed to face a common threat.

“I am convinced that the results of this meeting will lead us towards that path, and it will be an incentive not only for the ALBA-TCP member countries, but also for humanity,” he added.

ALBA-TCP Regional Integration Bloc

The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of our America-People’s Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) is comprised by Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Venezuela.

Since its creation in 2004, this regional integration bloc has fostered solidarity, complementarity, justice and cooperation to produce structural transformations and a system of relations necessary to achieve comprehensive development.