Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has called for the world to ensure that once a COVID-19 vaccine is available, it should be available to all nations.
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"We must ensure that once a vaccine is found, it must be accessible to all nations and peoples. There should not be any discrimination whatsoever. We must remember that since COVID-19 does not discriminate, our response should not too," Muhyiddin said Monday (September 21) in his video speech to the United Nations (UN) high-level meeting that commemorates the organization's 75th anniversary.
The Malaysian PM also said the UN should be better equipped to combat the challenges faced by the world.
"The United Nations is needed now more than ever. However, the organization needs to be better equipped - not just with political latitude, but with the continued support of its Member States to respond to some of the most glaring problems the world is facing," he said.
The Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the world’s leading developed and emerging economies (G20) recently held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil emphasised the need to reform global governance institutions, especially the United Nations Security Council. The meeting is also an opportunity for G20 to find solutions to a series of hot issues facing the world, such as poverty, climate change, and conflict.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers on December 30 issued a statement on maintaining and promoting stability in the maritime sphere in Southeast Asia.
The world economy has overcome a challenging year, but has proven more resilient than expected. The Financial Times (UK) commented that 2023 was a positive year for the world economy as the economic surprise index collated by Citigroup shew that actual data have underwhelmed economists’ predictions for much of the past months. These economic trends are the basis for optimism about the world economy in 2024.
Laos has announced the theme and logo for its the Chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2024.
Vietnam was elected a Vice President of the 42nd session of the UNESCO’s General Conference, representing the Asia-Pacific, on November 8.
Since the "blockbuster" ChatGPT was launched a year ago, the prospects for the development of artificial intelligence (AI), as well as concerns about the risks from this technology, have become hot topics in the technology world.
