India will send 200,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines as a gift to the UN peacekeepers on March 27. It will then be distributed to the peacekeeping missions.
Key Points
- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had announced in February that India would gift 200,000 Covid doses for UN peacekeepers.
- Jaishankar had announced this gift while addressing the UN Security Council open debate on the implementation of resolution 2532 (2020) on the cessation of hostilities in the context of the Covid pandemic
- The 200,000 doses essentially mean that it will be possible to administer the required double doses of COVID-19 vaccines to all UN peacekeepers across missions.
- As per the UN Peacekeeping, as of January 31, 2021, a total of 85,782 personnel are serving in 12 peacekeeping operations across the world led by the Department of Peace Operations.
- A total of 121 nations are contributing uniformed personnel to the UN peacekeeping missions.
- India is traditionally among the largest troop-contributing countries to peacekeeping missions.
The 200,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine would depart from Mumbai through Qatar Airways on March 27. The shipment will first reach Copenhagen, where it will be safely stored in a facility, re-packaged, and will quickly be distributed to peacekeeping missions for the peacekeepers.
The Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield is being manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute. The SII has collaborated with Oxford University and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for making the vaccine.
