JOINT STATEMENT
ON OPEN MARKETS, FLOW OF ESSENTIAL GOODS AND
SUPPLY CHAIN CONNECTIVITY
UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK
1) The COVID-19 pandemic has severely disrupted societies and economies and sharply reduced global trade and travel, causing unprecedented damage to the livelihoods of people around the world. We recognise that we are facing first and foremost a global health crisis and the immediate focus should be on efforts to ensure the health and safety of our citizens while laying the groundwork for a strong recovery. The Secretary-General has rightly called on all countries to work together to prepare for an inclusive longer-term recovery and to “build back better”. In this regard, it is important for countries to cooperate with a sense of urgency and in a spirit of global solidarity, within the framework of multilateral institutions and the United Nations (UN) system.
2) Beyond the immediate health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the normal functioning of open markets, global supply chain connectivity and the flow of essential goods, especially food and agricultural products, vital medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPEs). These disruptions not only threaten global food security and access to critical medical supplies and equipment, they also hinder the fight against poverty, hunger and inequality. Ultimately, disruptions to the flow of essential goods will undermine our efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for our people, especially for the most vulnerable.
3) The poorest and most vulnerable have been the hardest hit by this pandemic, which has exacerbated existing development challenges, deepened inequalities, and worsened the adverse effects of climate change, other shocks and natural disasters. We also recognize that women and children are disproportionately impacted. Our responses at the national and global levels must address the needs of all and promote gender equality and human rights.
4) As we seek to build more inclusive and resilient societies for our people, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it is important to acknowledge the crucial importance of open markets and supply chain connectivity to ensure the global flow of essential goods. In this regard, we welcome the Secretary-General’s call to Governments to facilitate the global supply chain response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
5) We believe that it is essential for all UN members and for the UN system to recognise and reaffirm the critical importance of open markets and connected global supply chains in ensuring the unimpeded flow of vital medical and food supplies and other essential goods and services across borders. We emphasize that emergency measures designed to tackle COVID -19, if deemed necessary, must be targeted, proportionate, transparent, and temporary, and that they do not create unnecessary barriers to trade or disruption to global supply chains, and are consistent with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. We also emphasise the importance of transparency in building confidence in international trade through the exchange of trade information through the WTO.
6) We recognise and reaffirm the need for critical infrastructure such as airports, roads, rail, and seaports to remain open to support the flow of essential goods through air services, air bridges, road networks and maritime routes. The viability and integrity of global supply chains require an international transport network to be operational around the world. We praise the commitment of transport workers in ensuring the flow of essential goods and global supply chain connectivity. We also recognise that keeping trade flowing requires effective trade facilitation measures such as digitalization of procedures, where possible.
7) We call on the UN system to target its assistance to helping developing countries secure international access to essential supplies, including through stockpiles held by the World Health Organisation, World Food Programme and other UN agencies. At the country-level, the UN can advise and support national authorities to procure, distribute and use these supplies, as well as to enhance local productive capacity.
8) We welcome the launch of the UN COVID-19 Supply Chain Task Force, including the “Solidarity Flights”, that will continue to distribute medical supplies and PPEs to 95 countries. We recognise the need to urgently mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in humanitarian contexts, and to step up support for the response efforts of the UN and its partners to bring humanitarian relief to those in need. In this regard, we reaffirm the importance of avoiding any disruptions in the movement of humanitarian supplies and workers, in line with the updated UN Global Humanitarian Response Plan.
9) We underline the need to minimise disruptions throughout global food and agriculture supply chains, and to ensure that everyone, especially the most vulnerable, can have access to adequate, safe, affordable and nutritious food. We also stress the need to keep food and agriculture supply chains functioning and ensure the continued flow of food, livestock, products and inputs essential for agricultural and food production to markets. It is important to recognise the essential service of workers and farmers in agriculture and food supply chains and support them to continue their essential work in a safe manner. These efforts are critical to end hunger, achieve global food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.
10) We acknowledge the crucial role played by the private sector in the continued functioning of open markets, supply chain connectivity and flow of essential goods. We recognise the need to support and work with the private sector to find innovative solutions to scale up production and distribution to meet critical national and global demands. We also recognise the need to work with and support Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs), including helping them to access markets at the local and international levels, as they are an important element of global supply chain connectivity. We also recognise the need for Governments, multilateral development banks and the private sector to work together to enhance private investment flows and access to global supply chains in the poorest and most vulnerable countries.
11) We welcome all international partnerships to accelerate the development, production and equitable distribution of affordable vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics for COVID-19, including the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator. Such partnerships rely on open markets and supply chain connectivity to facilitate research and development, and the dissemination of health technologies within countries and across borders to ensure equitable testing and access to these technologies. Over the longer-term, keeping trade in health technologies as open and predictable as possible is of vital interest to all countries
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List of Sponsors
1. Afghanistan 2. Albania 3. Algeria 4. Andorra 5. Angola 6. Antigua and Barbuda 7. Armenia 8. Australia 9. Austria 10. Bahamas 11. Bahrain 12. Bangladesh 13. Barbados 14. Belarus 15. Belgium 16. Belize 17. Benin 18. Bhutan 19. Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 20. Bosnia and Herzegovina 21. Botswana 22. Brunei Darussalam 23. Bulgaria 24. Burkina Faso 25. Cabo Verde 26. Cambodia 27. Cameroon 28. Canada 29. Central African Republic 30. Chad 31. Chile 32. China 33. Colombia 34. Comoros 35. Congo 36. Costa Rica 37. Côte D’Ivoire 38. Croatia 39. Cyprus 40. Czech Republic 41. Denmark 42. Djibouti 43. Dominica 44. Dominican Republic 45. Ecuador 46. Egypt 47. El Salvador 48. Equatorial Guinea 49. Estonia 50. Eswatini 51. Ethiopia 52. Fiji 53. Finland 54. France 55. Gabon 56. Gambia 57. Georgia 58. Germany 59. Ghana 60. Greece 61. Grenada 62. Guatemala 63. Guinea 64. Guyana 65. Haiti 66. Honduras 67. Hungary 68. Iceland 69. India 70. Indonesia 71. Iraq 72. Ireland 73. Israel 74. Italy 75. Jamaica 76. Japan 77. Jordan 78. Kazakhstan 79. Kenya 80. Kiribati 81. Kuwait 82. Kyrgyzstan 83. Lao People’s Democratic Republic 84. Latvia 85. Lebanon 86. Lesotho 87. Liberia 88. Libya 89. Liechtenstein 90. Lithuania 91. Luxembourg 92. Madagascar 93. Malawi 94. Malaysia 95. Maldives 96. Mali 97. Malta 98. Marshall Islands 99. Mauritius 100. Mexico 101. Micronesia (Federated States of) 102. Monaco 103. Mongolia 104. Montenegro 105. Morocco 106. Mozambique 107. Myanmar 108. Namibia 109. Nauru 110. Nepal 111. Netherlands 112. New Zealand 113. Niger 114. Nigeria 115. North Macedonia 116. Norway 117. Oman 118. Pakistan 119. Palau 120. Panama 121. Papua New Guinea 122. Paraguay 123. Peru 124. Philippines 125. Poland 126. Portugal 127. Qatar 128. Republic of Korea 129. Republic of Moldova 130. Romania 131. Russian Federation 132. Rwanda 133. Saint Kitts and Nevis 134. Saint Lucia 135. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 136. Samoa 137. San Marino 138. Saudi Arabia 139. Senegal 140. Serbia 141. Seychelles 142. Sierra Leone 143. Singapore 144. Slovakia 145. Slovenia 146. South Africa 147. South Sudan 148. Spain 149. Sri Lanka 150. Sudan 151. Suriname 152. Sweden 153. Switzerland 154. Tajikistan 155. Thailand 156. Timor-Leste 157. Togo 158. Tonga 159. Trinidad and Tobago 160. Tunisia 161. Turkey 162. Turkmenistan 163. Tuvalu 164. Uganda 165. Ukraine 166. United Arab Emirates 167. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 168. United Republic of Tanzania 169. Uruguay 170. Uzbekistan 171. Vanuatu 172. Viet Nam 173. Yemen 174. Zambia 175. Zimbabwe
