Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
India has taken up with G20 and partner countries the mutual recognition of Covid-19 vaccine certificates to promote both the resumption of international travel and economy recovery from the pandemic, foreign secretary Harsh Shringla said on Thursday.
The Indian government has been able to ease travel procedures, including recognition of vaccine certificates, with several countries, including the UK and members of the European Union (EU). Most of these measures are aimed at facilitating Indian professionals and students to return to jobs and educational courses around the world.
Shringla told a news briefing that India’s proposal is based on facilitating international travel through the mutual recognition of national vaccine documents, and there was strong support for it in the emerging market economies of the G20, which brings together the world’s 20 biggest economies.
‘India has proposed to its partner countries, primarily countries that Indian citizens normally travel to, that we should have a mutual (mechanism) that you recognise our vaccine certification and we will mutually recognise your country’s vaccine certification,’ he said.
The advantage of such an approach is that India wouldn’t need to keep approaching other countries as it adds new vaccines to its stock of nationally approved vaccines. ‘You recognise the certification that we issue, you recognise its integrity and we will give you mutual treatment. I am happy to say that a number of countries have already agreed to that,’ Shringla said.
India is working with all its partner countries to have such arrangements to simplify and normalise international travel, he said.
‘It is an important objective [of] the G20 to not only effect recovery in terms of health but also economic recovery. So business travellers, tourists [who] contribute to the recovery of economies will be greatly benefited from this simplified international travel regime that we are proposing…,’ he said.
‘We will continue to advocate this as a means of better and easier access to citizens travelling all over the world,’ he added.
Responding to a question on the process for the World Health Organization (WHO) to approve the Covaxin vaccine of Bharat Biotech, Shringla said WHO’s
Technical Action Group had sought some more information from the Indian pharmaceutical firm at a meeting held on October 26.
‘We have information that Bharat Biotech will provide the responses soon. The approval for Covaxin should come quickly if TAG’s questions are responded to effectively. It is a technical and regulatory group,’ he said.
Emergency use authorisation of vaccines is decided on technical considerations and India is closely following the discussions at the global health body. ‘We are hopeful that Covaxin will get approval from WHO soon,’ Shringla said.
He reiterated India’s call for a TRIPS waiver for Covid-19 vaccines and therapeutics at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
‘We have advocated for technology transfer and diversification of supply chain and production hubs to ensure affordable and equitable access to Covid-19 disease control tools. I am happy to share that G20 has recognised extensive vaccination as a global public good…and I think that is where discussions in the G20 will be relevant,’ he said.
A proposal piloted by India and South Africa for waiver of intellectual property rights related to Covid-19 vaccines to give poorer countries access to jabs has been backed by the US administration. However, the move has been opposed by EU member states and pharmaceutical companies.
