US President to hold conference on COVID-19 on sidelines of UN General Assembly Session

United States President Joe Biden will hold a virtual conference to talk about extending and enhancing cooperative efforts to combat the COVID-19 outbreak on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly Session on September 22. 

The White House said, in a statement, that that the conference will focus on expanding and improving common initiatives to take down COVID-19, building out from previous gatherings of world leaders and ministers in fora like the G7, G20, and Act Accelerator to rally civil society, NGOs, philanthropists, and industry along with world leaders and align on a common vision for defeating COVID-19 together.

The White House informed that attendees of the conference will be asked to contribute to an elevated standard of commitment across the four themed categories, namely, 'Vaccinate the World', 'Save Lives Now', 'Build Back Better', and 'Calling the World to Account'

Conference to focus on sustainable health protection

The White House press statement informed that under the first category, world leaders will look towards vaccinating the world by improving fair and equal access to vaccines and getting shots in arms. The second will include saving a life by solving the oxygen crisis and expanding access to tests, therapeutics, and personal protective equipment.

The third category, ‘Build Back Better', involves creating a sustainable health protection financing model. The fourth category, ‘Calling the World to Account’, will focus on "aligning around targets, tracking progress, and supporting one another in fulfilling our commitments".

US on eliminating COVID-19

According to Spectrum News NY1, senior deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the USA has been contributing towards eliminating the COVID-19 outbreak and the Biden administration intends to keep doing so. 

Jean-Pierre went on to say that the United States has provided about 140 million COVID vaccine dosages to over 90 nations, with another 200 million doses set to be sent subsequently in the year-end. She added that the administration is having discussions on how to effectively terminate the outbreak. She informed that the USA will continue to mobilise the global community to increase the cumulative ambition level and take immediate steps.  

US representatives at UN General Assembly Session

As per the White House, US President Joe Biden will reach New York on September 21 to attend the 76th UN General Assembly Session. The General Meet will be held from September 21 to September 25, and September 27.

Tom Carnahan, a renewable energy developer and attorney, Sim Farar, chairman of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, Arkansas’ Representative French Hill and California Representative Barbara Lee will represent the USA at the summit. 

(With inputs from ANI, Image: AP)