UN General Assembly
2023

I am pleased to inform the General Assembly that Botswana is making its contribution to building capacity to manufacture vaccines for both humans and animals. We have made remarkable progress in terms of HIV diagnosis and. on 28 August, our National HIV Reference Laboratory was designated a World Health Organization collaborating centre of excellence. That epitomized, in part, the crowning of our National Laboratory’s competence and success in carrying out genomic sequencing at levels equivalent to those of the best, as demonstrated by being the first to discover the Omicron variant. By the time that such discussions reach their conclusion, it is essential that we establish robust systems that leave no room for the repetition of such a calamity, ensuring that the survival and well-being of our people are never again contingent upon their location in the global South or North. More important, our hope is that the resultant of the discussions will culminate in a treaty.