India votes in favour of UNGA COVID-19 resolution

India has voted in favour of a Covid-19 resolution in the UN General Assembly(UNGA) that reaffirms international cooperation to respond to “one of the greatest global challenges”.

India is among 169 nations who voted in favour of the resolution.

The Omnibus Resolution on Comprehensive and Coordinated Response to the Covid-19 pandemic was overwhelmingly adopted by the 193-member General Assembly on September 11.

The resolution acknowledges the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) “key leadership role” in responding to the outbreak, a reference the United States objected to as it opposed the resolution.

The US and Israel voted against the resolution and Ukraine and Hungary abstained. The US had accused WHO of mismanaging the COVID-19 pandemic and also siding with China.

India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador K Nagaraj Naidu tweeted “India votes in favour of the Covid-19 omnibus resolution in the General Assembly recognising the pandemic as one of the greatest global challenges that calls for a global response based on unity, solidarity and multilateral cooperation.”

The resolution “reaffirms its commitment to international cooperation, multilateralism and solidarity at all levels and as the only way for the world to effectively respond to global crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic and their consequences, and acknowledges the key leadership role of the World Health Organisation and the fundamental role of the United Nations system in catalysing and coordinating the comprehensive global response to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The UNGA resolution also reiterated Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call for a global ceasefire amid the pandemic in order to better facilitate the fight against COVID-19. The text also called for the removal of all “unjustified obstacles”, referring to the sanctions imposed on various countries, so that they could access factors needed to combat the disease outbreak.