NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 15th – “The social impact of the pandemic has been profound. The most vulnerable and the most marginalized have been the first to be hit and are also those who have been suffering the greatest and more lasting consequences… We have to make sure that the COVID19 vaccine be dealt with as a global common good, which means that its production, distribution and delivery must be handled on global scale, based on the principles of fairness, equity and inclusion. The same principles must apply to tests and treatments, so as to avoid that the virus continues to act as a driver of additional social inequality”, Ambassador Mariangela Zappia, Italian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said during the general debate of the 59th session of the Commission for Social Development. The Italian Youth Delegates, Giulia Parenti and Simone Mostratisi, virtually participated in the meeting.
“We have to ensure that social equity and inclusion be at the center of the national, regional and global efforts for recovering better – said the Ambassador- any prospect of a truly sustainable recovery depends, to a large extent, on our capacity to build societies which are not only greener, climate friendly and more economically resilient, but also more equitable and more inclusive… In this context, the role of digital technologies is bound to be key. The pandemic has shown, like never before, that the digital tool can be decisive in multiple ways: from allowing a minimal level of medical consultations to guaranteeing access to some essential services; from permitting the continuation of some economic activity, with variable limitations, to preserving family and social contacts”.
“Overcoming the pandemic by handling the vaccine as a global common good, positioning social equity and inclusion at the center of recovering better, maximizing the social potential of digitalization, while minimizing its negative repercussions: these objectives are at the core of the program of work of the Italian Presidency of the G20 in this crucial year,” concluded Zappia.
The 59th session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD59) is taking place from 8 to 17 February 2021 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The Commission is the advisory body responsible for the social development pillar of global development. Participants were asked to address as priorithy theme a socially just transition towards sustainable development with special focus on the role of digital technologies on social development and the well-being of all.
To read Ambassador Zappia full speech click here. (@OnuItalia)
