Duterte, not a Vishwa Guru, speaks up for poorer nations at UN

​​​​​​​Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte flayed rich countries for hoarding anti-COVID vaccines at the expense of poor countries and appealed in United Nations (UN) that this must be condemned for what it is – a selfish act that can neither be justified rationally nor morally.

In his address to the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, Duterte lashed out at the rich nations for the inequitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines across the globe. He said that poorer countries like Philippines continue to struggle with protection its population against the deadly virus.

He said, “Rich countries hoard life-saving vaccines, while poor nations wait for trickles. They now talk of booster shots, while developing countries consider half-doses just to get by.

“This is shocking beyond belief and must be condemned for what it is – a selfish act that can neither be justified rationally nor morally.”

Duterte does not aspire to be ‘Vishwa Guru’ (world leader), yet he raised concerns of poorer nations.

“For nearly two years now, the pandemic has upended our lives. The climate crisis has worsened, inequalities have deepened, and the geopolitical balance is in a state of dangerous flux.

“Certainly, these are complex problems. But one thing is clear – they all hit the poor the hardest. Injustice is the common thread that ties these issues together. When I spoke before this august body last year, I said that how we address these issues will define our future.

“From what I have seen, that future will likely be one of inequality – where the poor plays catch-up with the rich, with no hope nor chance of ever succeeding in closing the gap. We cannot, in all conscience, allow this to happen. An unjust order is inherently volatile,” the Philippine President said in the UN National Assembly.

Duterte also addressed other issues like climate change. He stated that just as COVID-19 has had an uneven impact on peoples, climate change has also exposed the varying vulnerabilities of countries around the globe. The risks and burden of a warming climate are simply not the same for everyone, he added.

“The greatest injustice here is that those who suffer the most are those the least responsible for this existential crisis. But here we are now at a critical tipping point, where failure to act leads to cataclysmic consequences for the whole of humankind,” he said.

He informed the UN General Assembly, that his country has set a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 per cent by 2030 and that he has issued a moratorium on the construction of new coal power plants and a directive to explore the nuclear energy option.

“But this contribution will be rendered useless if the biggest polluters – past and present – choose to do "business as usual." We therefore appeal for urgent climate action, especially from those that can truly tip the balance.

“Our world's transition to a green economy must not be at the expense of developing countries' economic vitality. It simply cannot be – or it would be another travesty of justice,” he said.