Remarks from Resident Coordinator Vincent Sweeney on the Launch of Canada’s Global Initiative for Vaccine Equity (CanGIVE) Jamaica

• Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, Minister of Health

• Dr. Jacqueline Bisasor McKenzie, Chief Medical Officer, Jamaica, representing - and partners from the Ministry of Health

• The Hon. Harjit Sajjan, Minister of International Development Canada

• Your Excellency Emina Tudakovic, High Commissioner of Canada to Jamaica – and staff of the High Commission

• Mr. Andres Perez   Charge d'Affairs, Embassy of Colombia to Jamaica and other members of the diplomatic corps

• Dr. Ciro Ugarte, Director Health Emergencies, PAHO/WHO

• Mr. Vicente Teran Country Representative a.i. UNICEF Jamaica

• Mr. Ian Stein PAHO/WHO Representative in Jamaica, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands

• Other Members of the UN Country Team

• Representatives from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA)

• Members of the Press

To all of you here in the audience, and our viewers online, good morning, everyone.

CanGIVE is a well-needed value-add to Jamaica’s public health response and immunization program. And so, I want to use this opportunity to commend the Government of Canada for its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals and achieving Agenda2030 through strong multilateral and bilateral relations. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada has demonstrated leadership in its support and contributions to the UN-COVAX facility as well as in providing vaccines and technical and financial support through bilateral agreements with countries like Jamaica. Today’s Initiative is only a part of this ongoing work.

Minister Sajjan, we welcome you to Jamaica, and on behalf of the UN Development System and the people we serve, kindly convey our gratitude to the people and government of Canada and indeed Prime Minister Trudeau for their unwavering support.

Colleagues, join me in giving them a round of applause.

Through the financial and technical support of the CanGive Initiative we have a greater chance of ensuring that the pandemic transmission curve is brought under control and vaccination rates are increased. This is a strong complement to UN and other partner efforts within this health response. PAHO/WHO and UNICEF have been two of our lead agencies at the forefront of Jamaica’s COVID-19 response and recovery, working to improve quality coverage and universal health access, through sustainable health system strengthening. I wish to acknowledge my colleagues Vicente Teran – Acting Representative, UNICEF Jamaica and Ian Stein, PAHO/WHO Representative for their commitment to co-implementing this initiative.

Finally, I wish to add to the many commendations of Jamaica’s early, quick and effective approach to its COVID-19 response and recovery. Through partnerships, support of the development community and strong leaders like Dr. Bisasor-McKenzie and Dr. Tufton, Jamaica’s response continues to be commended around the world. This programme, we hope, will give Jamaica the supportive nudge to accelerate its efforts and broaden its immunization agenda.

Conclusion

Ladies and Gentlemen, colleagues, today’s initiative is responsive to the UN Secretary General’s Common Agenda, and its call for greater collaboration as the key to solving common challenges. Truly, this is the greatest lesson of the last two years.

Jamaica’s future and the future of this region of Developing States depends on our ability to trust and work together as a global family to achieve common goals. No community or country, however powerful, can solve its challenges alone.

There is undoubted evidence, that there is a direct relationship between the safety, security, welfare and health of the children and people in Jamaica and children and people thousands of miles across the waters. This reality requires our fresh ideas, modern approaches and collaborative initiatives – like CanGive – that will see us improving health outcomes for Jamaica and countries like her.

Thank you for joining us in this programme’s launch and a special welcome to you all.

To speak to you now and share more about this signature initiative is one who knows it best, Her Excellency Emina Tudakovic, High Commissioner of Canada to Jamaica.

Please welcome her.