On 20th May 2020, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan participated in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Health Ministers meeting through video conference. The NAM Summit is organised in a time when international community faces a pandemic and the meeting was chaired by Minister of Health, Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ogtay Shiraliyev
Key Points:
i.The global threat due to COVID-19 and its effects on the lives and livelihood of the people around the world are discussed and the NAM resolved to combat the pandemic with proper preparedness, prevention, resilience-building and national, regional and international collaborations.
ii.The COVID-19 pandemic has displayed the interconnectivity and interdependency of the countries and made the world realise the man-made challenges are to be faced together with collaboration.
iii.India is facing the combat against the COVID-19 under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who ensured speed, scale and determination in crisis handling and assured that India is taking every possible measure to contain the spread of the coronavirus and ensured the focus on the patients of other diseases.
iv.The global pandemic has brought the global institution of governance to become more democratic, transparent, and representative to be credible and effective and reformed multilateralism.
v.He mentioned that the support of the 135 crore citizens on the nationwide lockdown helped in containing the mortality rate compared to the other affected nations and the added capacity of vi.Healthcare infrastructures and manpower of more than 10,000 COVID hospitals and organised capacity building by sharing the medical expertise helped to contain the spread.
vii.The policy of micro identification, mass isolation and quick treatment prevented the spread and deaths due to COVID-19.
viii.He also mentioned that India successfully contained the spread and also helped the neighbouring countries by sharing the medical expertise and providing aid in the combat against the pandemic.
India has contributed in providing medical supplies to over 123 countries including 59 NAM countries.
About NAM:
The Non-Aligned Movement was originated in the Bandung Conference of April 1955 inspired by Jawaharlal Nehru of India, Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia and Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt to promote and reinforce multilateralism and established in 1961.
Currently NAM has 120 members and 17 observer states.
