President Tokayev highlighted equitable vaccine access at 76th annual session of UN - Dr Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan

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NUR-SULTAN. KAZINFORM – The President of Kazakhstan H.E. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered a comprehensive speech in the 76th annual session of UN in which he like a prominent applied economist highlighted the importance of rapid global economic recovery for the socio-economic prosperity of the world. He urged to promote close economic and financial integration and dissemination of funds to mitigate serious consequences of loss of decades of development progress, Dr Mehmood Ui Hassan Khan shared his thoughts on President Tokayev’s recent speech at the UN with Kazinform.

As an experienced strategist he rated three most important threats i.e. COVID-19 recovery; the climate change crisis; and the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan thus adopt a holistic approach to rescue regional, and global economy, spillover repercussions of geo-politics, human survival and productivity to save the world from increasing poverty (130 million people are now living in extreme poverty) and constant unemployment.

He shared statistical data to show the severity of ongoing human sage of the COVID-19 pandemic which has badly affected 225 million confirmed cases world-wide and rated invention of vaccine the last hope of safety, security and productivity.

As a genuine humanist he rightly analyzed that COVID-19 has badly affected global capacity building mechanism which consequently exposed vulnerability and thus upheld strategic importance of multilateralism and international solidarity. Resultantly by suggesting to build back a more equitable, sustainable, and humane world he actually showed his love for pure humanity and its service.

As a visionary leader he suggested holistic approach for universal and fair access to vaccines which should be implemented as a matter of global ethics and solidarity because the existing unjust vaccine gap is a «gap multiplier».

Kazakhstan’s Head of State was absolutely right to mention IMG genuine concerns about the global economic recovery because of the widening gap between advanced vaccinated economies and emerging or developing unvaccinated ones which needed urgent ratification. By sharing colossal economic impact ($4.5 trillion of cumulative global GDP by 2025) of this widening gap he also urged the importance of fair, free and equitable access and distribution of vaccine.

As a true statesman he emphasized that we must exponentially and urgently increase global access to vaccines and shared that Kazakhstan has successfully produced its own QazVac vaccine along with two more vaccines are in development.

In this connection, President Tokayev showcased the importance of the WTO ensuring supply chains for essential medical goods and equitable vaccine access. Being the Chair of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference he called on WTO Members to deliver a meaningful outcome on WTO’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To overcome he suggested that meaningful cooperation between governments and the pharmaceutical industry on licenses, technology transfers and technical support important for easy and smooth supplies of vaccine.

Moreover, he mentioned emerging economic and trade wars and sanctions and termed it bad for global economic recovery and greater socio-economic integration. By highlighting new series of technological wars/sanctions he actually pinpointed its economic impacts which have power politics orientations.

President Tokayev as true lover of nature, bio-diversity and green development orientation upheld that carbon dioxide levels reached record highs. As a genuine naturalist having lots of diversified but integrated policies to mitigate its ramifications he actually warned the world with increasing incidents of wildfires, cyclones, floods and droughts which have become the new normal, devastating populations and causing much preventable human suffering.

He also pinpointed Kazakhstan’s climate change ratio which increased faster than the global average and threatened its people and economy alike. He further mentioned that the median annual temperature has increased 2°C in the last 75 years with serious droughts now striking twice every five years.

According to President Tokayev, Kazakhstan projected comprehensive and holistic policies to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. In addition, Kazakhstan is initiating a national 2050 low carbon development strategy next month to reduce GDP energy intensity by 50 percent from 2008 levels. He proposed that easy access to green financing and green technologies will be critical to achieve the goals of COP26 & COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

As a holistic political scientist and genuine guru of conflict resolution he endorsed the UN Security Council’s for an inclusive and representative interim setup in Afghanistan. He rightly demanded multi-ethnic having different values, religious and gender background should be included in new inclusive Afghan government which can be coexisted. Moreover, he chalked out his government foreign policy towards Afghanistan and treated it as truly independent, sovereign nation living at peace with itself and its neighbors. Thus, he promoted his multi-vector foreign policy to initiate humanitarian assistance to people of Afghanistan.

As a pure advocator of regional peace, and stability he urged Afghanistan to respect its international obligations by ensuring its territory free of terrorists, drugs, and human traffickers.

Being prominent regional expert of Kazakhstan & CIS I fully endorse President Tokayev’s economic insight on Afghanistan and Central Asia’s development.

I support his visionary road map of further revitalization of disarmament. In this connection, Kazakhstan celebrated the 30th anniversary of the decision of First President Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev to close the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site and relinquish the fourth largest nuclear arsenal in the world on August 29. Moreover, by urging the nuclear weapon states to follow the complete elimination of nuclear weapons by 2045 he precisely prophesied the emergence of a stable and safer world in the future.

I really admire his suggestions to initiate meaningful policies against existential biological threats and agree with his proposal for formation of an International Agency for Biological Safety which I think is an innovative, timely and ambitious idea.

He rightly highlighted the importance of implementation of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs which has suffered a considerable setback.

Moreover, his suggestion and appeal as the Global Chair of the LLDCs, Kazakhstan to all UN agencies to work together to deliver on the 2024 Roadmap for Accelerated Implementation of the Vienna Program of Action is really commendable which has multiplier effects.

I also appreciate his financial expertise which he shared during his keynote speech and urged that the 2030 Agenda will remain unattainable until all countries have the financial capacity to invest in a sustainable and inclusive future.

As a genuine applied agriculturalist he warned that 270 million people would face food shortages this year. I endorse his suggestions to invite foreign investors to join Kazakhstan in shaping a better, brighter future for sustainable agriculture is highly appreciable.

I appreciate his unmatched skills of good governance which he has institutionalized in Kazakhstan. It has already revolutionized its bureaucracy, orientation of the state which has been converted into a «Listening State», administration has been further streamlined and systematic having strong democratic commitment and promote wider citizen engagement in governance which is indeed a great achievement that is why Kazakhstan is now sitting on the apex of politicization and democratization index in the CIS and beyond.

I also welcome his constant persuasions of structural political reforms through introducing direct election of rural akims for the first time. Undoubtedly, it will bring greater power and control in the hands of more than 40 percent of Kazakh citizens.

Furthermore his government has launched four blocks of essential democratic reforms to strengthen human rights, the rule of law, and anti-corruption which is real essence of a civilized society and modern liberalized democracy in the world.

In this direction, 30 percent quota for women and youth in electoral party lists to the final parliamentary composition is a giant step towards further politicization and democratization in the country which has actually further enhance the levels of transparency and competitiveness of the political process. I fully support his decision of discarding death penalty by ratifying the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

During the said speech he projected the zero-sum politics of his country having genuine cooperation and a people-centered Great Gain in the Heart of Asia which is praiseworthy act. In this connection his great hope in the regional «C5+» dialogue frameworks vividly reflected his passions for greater regional connectivity and cooperation.

His plans for sustainable partnerships in Central Asia’s water-related challenges, including water scarcity, degrading quality and inefficient use is a wake-up call for all of us.

I advocate his government well-balanced, constructive foreign policy which promotes good relations with all its immediate neighbors, the Western countries, the EU, Asian and Middle Eastern states. And I appreciate its spirit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia which is innovative, interactive, integrative and productive for achieving the goals of regional peace, security and stability.

To conclude, that President of Kazakhstan H.E. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s speech in the 76th annual session of UN vividly reflects his diversified but integrated expertise in applied economics, real politics and good governance which he achieved through constant structural reforms.

His detailed policies towards combating of ongoing COVID-19 through regional as well as international political, economic and financial cooperation and integration is a masterpiece of his historic speech.

Moreover, his concerns towards Afghanistan are genuine and his extended spirits of humanitarian assistance for the needy and struggling people of Afghanistan is central point of his speech.

His genuine concerns about looming climate change, water shortage, food security and last but not least, deteriorating agricultural productivity are real and needs real integrated mechanism of cooperation, coordination and collaboration.

I highly appreciate his meaningful multilateralism policies to achieve sustainable peace and harmony in the world is indeed an only way forward for human survival, economic recovery, and political befitting propositions and last but not least social harmony.


Article by Dr. Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan
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