Alongside the United Nations, UNICEF committed to strengthening partnership with Senegal
On May 1st, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres paid a solidarity visit to Senegal—which currently chairs the African Union
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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres paid a solidarity visit to Senegal – which currently chairs the African Union – before heading to Niger and Nigeria.
The United Nations is committed to continue strengthening our partnership with Senegal as we tackle the consequences of conflict, terrorism & the climate crisis.
The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres met with the United Nations country team, the regional team for West Africa and the Sahel, the Regional Directors as well as the members of the Diplomatic Corps. They have discussed the implementation of the United Nations reform, the challenges and prospects for the Sahel, the impact of Covid-19 and the support provided by the United Nations in Senegal to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
UNICEF in Senegal, as lead of the social services and social protection results group, highlighted on this occasion the need to strengthen access to basic social services, in particular quality education for all, in anticipation of the forthcoming Summit on “Transforming education" whose aim is to renew the international political commitment to education as a fundamental public good.
At regional level, UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Marie-Pierre Poirier, speaking on behalf of UN Regional leaders mentioned that the West and Central Africa region continues to face protracted and escalating conflicts, large-scale population displacement and concurrent public health emergencies. In 2022, the region is home to nearly one-third of the global number of people in need of emergency assistance
Led by the President of the Republic, Mr. Macky Sall, the delegation also visited the new United Nations House, under construction in Diamniadio, 30 kilometers from the capital, Dakar. Built on an area of more than 13 hectares — 28 times the size of a football stadium, the new headquarters will accommodate more than 2,245 employees from 27 UN agencies and entities. UNICEF will play a pivotal role in the management of the United Nations House.
I thank Senegal for the construction of the new UN House in the country. This building will be able to host 2,000 employees from 27 UN entities, as they work to serve the people of Senegal and West Africa.
UNICEF commends the Government of Senegal for its exemplary commitment to multilateralism. We are proud to play a central role in the management of the future United Nations House in Diamniadio
Mr. Guterres and President Sall had toured a new hi-tech vaccine production facility, currently being built by the Institut Pasteur in Dakar. When completed, it will be able to produce a range of vaccines including Pfizer-BioNTech, one of the most widely used immunizations against COVID-19. It will also be able to manufacture experimental vaccines against malaria and tuberculosis as well as the vaccines needed for the Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI).
I commend Senegal and the Institut Pasteur de Dakar for their outstanding work to start the local production of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. This is a major step to overcome global vaccine inequity, one of the biggest moral failures of our time.
Mr. Guterres said that it was necessary to “build true vaccine equity across the world,” and that it was “unacceptable” that close to 80 per cent of Africans are not vaccinated against COVID-19; a situation which he called a “moral failure.” President Macky Sall has called for pharmaceutical sovereignty by supporting the emergence of an African pharmaceutical industry capable of meeting basic needs and coping with pandemics.
The vaccination pole in Dakar once again demonstrates Senegal's commitment to place the health of its population and that of Africa at the heart of its priorities. Let's build a world where a long life for all is a reality for every child.
As well as leading the procurement and supply of COVID-19 vaccine, UNICEF, together with partners, is helping the country strengthen its cold and supply chains, training health workers and working with communities in addressing misinformation and building trust in vaccines and in the health systems that deliver lifesaving vaccines.
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