It could play a very important role in the fight against the pandemic, said António Guterres
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expects the World Health Organization (WHO) to certify the Russian coronavirus vaccine as quickly as possible.
“I know that there are contacts going on at the moment between the Russian authorities and the WHO, I hope that these contacts will lead to it [the Russian vaccine] being recognised or certified by the WHO as quickly as possible,” he said in an exclusive interview with TASS.
apply in UN missions and play a very important role in the fight against the pandemic, Guterres said. “We believe that the Russian vaccine can play a very important role in this fight (against the coronavirus pandemic – note TASS),” he said. – It can be used in UN missions in the most vulnerable areas, where we need vaccines both for our staff and for the local population, which we support in peacekeeping operations.
“The only condition for the UN is that we can only use vaccines approved by WHO,” he added. – “I know that there are contacts going on at the moment between the Russian authorities and the WHO, I hope that these contacts will lead to it [the Russian vaccine] being recognised or certified by the WHO as quickly as possible.
Last September, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a speech that was broadcast at the UN General Assembly, announced Russia’s willingness to provide the Sputnik V vaccine to UN staff free of charge.