March 29, 2021

Anna Murray 

India donated 200,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines on March 27 to inoculate UN blue helmets serving in various peacekeeping missions. These AstraZeneca vaccines were shipped out from Mumbai for Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. Up to date, there are more than 95,000 UN peacekeepers deployed in 12 missions around the world. Meanwhile, March 27 marked the world's Earth Hour, a global event set to dim the lights out at 8:30 pm local time for an hour, to encourage global alert on climate change.

The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix praised India's generous donation in COVID vaccines as a longstanding and steadfast supporter of peacekeeping. The UN peacekeeping chief stressed the United Nations’ first job is to protect its personnel to continue their crucial duty, deliver on their mandates safely and help protect vulnerable communities around the world.

The UN Resident Coordinator in India, Renata Desalien, heartily expressed India's generous gesture of solidarity and support especially for the United Nations, reflects India's strong commitment to global peace and multilateralism. In addition, on March 29, Prime Minister of Fiji Voreqe Bainimarama received 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines delivered and manufactured from India at the Nadi International Airport. PM Bainimarama said the vaccines were procured through the COVAX facility and expressed his thanks to the Indian government.

Photo:Webshot.