UN General Assembly
2020

During the pandemic, highest emphasis has been placed on food production. At the same time, we have taken all measures to ensure adequate supply of nutrition for our people. Special arrangements have been made for keeping the industries running and for proper marketing of agricultural products and industrial outputs in full compliance with health guidelines. Consequently, our health sector and economy are still comparatively at a better shape. Despite the COVID-19-induced stagnation in global industrial outputs, our GDP has registered a growth rate of 5.24 per cent, which is expected to be 7 per centin the next fiscal year. Mr. President, We hope that the COVID-19 vaccine will soon be available in the world. It is imperative to treat the vaccine as a ‘global public good.’ We need to ensure the timely availability of this vaccine to all countries at the same time. If we are provided with the technical know-how and patents, the pharmaceutical industry of Bangladesh has the capacity to go for vaccine production in mass-scale.