Addressing representatives from diverse sections of Surinamese society during his official visit, Jaishankar highlighted the stark disparity in vaccine access that emerged at the height of the pandemic. He noted that certain countries had stockpiled vaccines sufficient for up to eight times their population, while large parts of the developing world were left struggling for supplies.
Reaffirming India’s diplomatic and humanitarian stance, the Minister stated that India emerged as a responsible global actor during a time when many nations turned inward. He emphasized that India supplied vaccines to a wide range of countries and supported international initiatives through its “Vaccine Maitri” programme.
Launched on January 20, 2021, Vaccine Maitri was presented as a landmark humanitarian initiative that enabled India to distribute COVID-19 vaccines across the world. The programme reinforced India’s global image as a dependable partner and the “pharmacy of the world,” leveraging its large-scale pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity for global benefit.
Jaishankar noted that the initiative was guided by the philosophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” meaning the world is one family. Under this framework, India delivered nearly 300 million vaccine doses to approximately 100 countries by 2023, marking one of the largest vaccine-sharing efforts undertaken globally during the pandemic.
The initiative was positioned as a principled policy response aimed at safeguarding global health through cooperation rather than isolation. Even as many regions faced severe shortages due to vaccine nationalism, India adopted what the Minister described as an outward-looking and solidarity-driven foreign policy approach.
He further stated that this commitment generated substantial diplomatic goodwill, particularly among developing and low-income nations that had been sidelined by more affluent countries during the crisis. India’s actions, he noted, contributed to reshaping perceptions of responsible leadership on the global stage.
During his address, Jaishankar also emphasized that a defining characteristic of a reliable international partner is the ability to align national interests with broader global responsibilities. He stated that India’s pandemic response exemplified this balance between domestic capacity and international duty.
The Minister’s remarks in Suriname, delivered as part of his three-nation Caribbean tour from May 2 to May 10, positioned Vaccine Maitri as a defining moment in India’s diplomatic engagement. He concluded that India’s approach, rooted in the belief that the world is one family, significantly strengthened its soft power and earned recognition from global institutions, including the United Nations and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.
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