Bahrain participates in UN General Assembly's extraordinary session

New York, Dec. 15 (BNA): The Kingdom of Bahrain participated on December 14 in the 31st extraordinary session of the UN General Assembly on combating the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador Jamal Faris Al Ruwaie, stressed the kingdom’s keenness, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to boost cooperation with the rest of the world and international organisations, like the World Health Organisation (WHO), to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and handle the pandemic. Al Ruwaie reviewed the kingdom’s national efforts to curtail the spread of the virus, which were led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister. He pointed out the formation of a national medical team to develop and implement an integrated response plan for the pandemic. He underlined the directives of His Majesty the King to provide a safe and free vaccine for all citizens and residents in order to protect the health and safety of everyone through a national vaccination plan. The ambassador also commended the efforts exerted by the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, in consolidating the pivotal role of the United Nations in responding to this global health crisis and its social, economic and humanitarian repercussions. He reiterated Bahrain's commitment and respect for the UN principles, stressing the kingdom’s support, as an active member of the international community, to joint efforts being made at this defining moment to move forward towards achieving peoples’ aspirations for enduring stability, sustainable development, progress and prosperity.