India donates 200,000 COVID vaccinations to protect UN peacekeepers around the world

200,000 donated AstraZeneca vaccines left Mumbai for Denmark last week—where they will be safely stored and distributed to UN peacekeepers serving in various mission around the globe.

Lauding India as “a longstanding and steadfast supporter of peacekeeping”, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said, “an effective roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine to all peacekeepers is a key priority for the United Nations in order to protect our personnel and their capacity to continue their crucial work, help protect vulnerable communities and deliver on their mandates.”

He thanked the government and people of India for their generous donation to safeguard peacekeeping personnel and “enable them to continue their life-saving work in a safe manner.”

Vaccinating peacekeepers

The head of UN Operational Support, Atul Khare, said the donation will ensure that UN peacekeepers remain healthy and “deliver in some of the most difficult environments in the world without relying on already stretched national health systems or ongoing COVAX efforts.”

At the same time, Mr. Khare’s department is leading UN system-wide arrangements to support national efforts in vaccinating UN civilian personnel and family members.

India has long played an important role in peacekeeping, particularly through its contribution of troops. Currently, more than 95,000 UN peacekeepers are deployed in 12 missions.

Meanwhile, the UN Resident Coordinator in India, Renata Desalien, “heartily” thanked India for its “generous gesture of solidarity and support.”

“This step, especially for the United Nations, reflects India’s strong commitment to global peace and multilateralism,” she stated. We’ll be sure to share more of these acts of generosity from around the world as they come in.

Source: UN Women